AMERICA/GUATEMALA - Statement from San Marcos diocese after Bishop and several pastoral workers received death threats

San Marcos (Agenzia Fides) - The diocese of San Marcos, which belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Los Altos (Guatemala), issued a statement addressed to the civil society of Guatemala and the international community to denounce threats received by the Bishop Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini, and some of the local pastoral workers. According to the statement on March 31 a religious sister was intimidated by gang of men who refused to let her pass unless she carried a life threat message to the Bishop.
For some time the diocese and other members of the local Church have received threats. The statement expresses “concern for attacks on life, especially against men and women who strive to promote truth, peace and justice, on the part of those who defend projects of death”. It continues: “we have just recently celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus, which reminds us of the sacred value of human life”, therefore “to threaten someone's life of means to threaten the project of life which Jesus himself came to establish on earth: ‘I came that they might have life and life in abundance (Jn 10,10)”.
The statement expresses solidarity with the Bishop and with the pastoral workers subjected to intimidation, it calls on the international community “to give attention to this case”, and urges the security forces of Guatemala to “protect and guarantee respect for life in Guatemala”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 3/4/2008; righe 19, parole 262)