Amidst the chaos of war, navy chaplain Luis Padilla performed his duty to the letter. Instead of cowering at Solano Castle, he walked through the battle-torn streets of Puerto Cabello and blessed the dying, reading the Catholic soldiers their last rites so they could die in peace.
At first, bullets flew past Luis’ head, missing him by inches, but he used his status as a chaplain to his advantage. Men on both sides were Catholic, and in 1960s Venezuela, piety would have been the norm. Luis noticed that his presence on the battlefield meant that the shooting stopped momentarily, giving the mortally wounded soldiers at least a small bit of solace before death. No soldier was exempt from the chaplain’s compassion, as both Rebels and government soldiers were blessed. The emotional photograph above, titled “Aid from the Padre” was taken in 1962 by Héctor Rondón Lovera and won a Pulitzer prize the following year.
[Image Credit: Héctor Rondón Lovera/AP Photo]
