Deaths of U.S. tourists said to show need for priest on cruise ships

Published: 2006-03-24

BEAUMONT, Texas (CNS) -- The tragic death of 12 elderly U.S. cruise ship passengers killed in a tour bus crash in Chile shows the need to have a priest on board to minister to those in need, said Father Sinclair Oubre, president of the Apostleship of the Sea in the United States. "Incidents like these underscore the importance of the religious and pastoral care on these ships," Father Oubre said. "Though many people cruise in order to leave the difficulties of life behind, very often real-life tragedies intervene." The Apostleship of the Sea is the Catholic Church's official ministry in the maritime industry. Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of Beaumont, bishop promoter of the apostleship in the U.S., expressed sympathy March 23 over the deaths of the 12 passengers and the injuries suffered by two other passengers March 22 when their tour bus plunged off the highway and down a mountainside. They were passengers on the ship Millennium, operated by Celebrity Cruises, for a 14-day South American cruise.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .