WHEELING, W. Va. (CNS) — As West Virginia mourned the 29 coal miners killed in the April 5 explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston said the safety of the state’s miners must be a priority.
“We offer this Mass for the 29 miners who lost their lives this past week,” Bishop Bransfield said at the beginning of the Mass he celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling April 11. “We pray today for them and for their families.”
Life must be protected from birth to natural death, Bishop Bransfield said. It is his hope, he said, that the protection that miners need will be provided to them in the future.
“Our country should realize that West Virginia pays too high a price when we turn on our electricity,” the bishop said in his homily.”As one of the greatest suppliers of electricity in our country, we must reflect on what producing this energy truly costs.”
The death toll of miners killed in the explosion rose to 29 after the four workers initially listed as missing were found dead April 10.