Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Quito (Agenzia Fides) – Fr. Nicholas Dousdebes, Assistant Secretary General of the Ecuadorian Bishops’ Conference sent a letter to the President of the country, Rafael Correa, asking that Bishops and priests be respected in voicing their opinion, even if they are not shared by others. In the letter, the Secretary affirms that, “as Christians, we should love peace, but without renouncing the values of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, which in spite of her flaws is a voice that, just like any other in a democratic society, should be respected and heard.” However, she has recently been accused of the “crime” of “showing her disapproval on some points of the draft for the new Constitution in which ambiguous vocabulary can be interpreted in favor of abortion (Art. 66.9 and 66.10); the consideration of homosexual unions as families (Art. 67 and 68), and against private education (Art. 344.2;347.4;348.2).”
The Assistant Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference also mentions that priests are regular citizens who serve the people, although at times without acknowledgement... “we receive no salary or profit from the state and on that claim we are free to express our disagreement with some of the things that our leaders are proposing as if their voice held the only truth, especially in matters concerning moral character and life.” The Secretary’s letter asks that the President “respect the opinions of Bishops and priests in the Church - of which you yourself are a member - even if you do not share these opinions.”
On Sunday, September 14, nearly 200,000 people attended the three outdoor Masses held in three different Guayaquil locations, with the intention of “peace, life, and the family” (see Fides 12/9/2008). One of the Masses was celebrated by Guayaquil’s Archbishop Antonio Arregui, President of the Bishops’ Conference, and was even attended by members of the Evangelical Protestant churches. The processions and Masses were held as part of a prayer campaign for Ecuador, organized by the Bishops’ Conference, which is taking place during the month of September and includes the daily recitation of the Rosary, midday Angelus, and fasting every Friday of the month. It is all part of the Bishops’ awareness appeal for citizens to reflect on the new version of the Constitution, which they will vote on in a referendum on September 28.
In his homily, Archbishop Arregui spoke of the “non-negotiable” principles being violated by the draft of the Constitution. “We ask that our culture’s Christian roots...may come forth in defense of the weakest and most defenseless, the sick and disabled, children and elderly, the unemployed and homeless, and especially, in defense of the unborn who at the moment of conception are already persons...We ask for an acknowledgement of God’s plan as Creator in making man and woman complementary, so that they would help one another and bring about new lives...We ask that the family may always be respected so as to educate children according to their beliefs,” he said.
“The outdoor Masses,” the Archbishop mentioned the following day, “are the response of a people that feels abandoned in their principles by this new Constitution and by the hostile attitudes that the government has shown towards the Church (...) They have wounded not the spirit of the Church, but that of the nation, this nation which is Christian.” And he insisted that September 14, “was not necessarily a solicitation to vote ‘No.’” “What we ask is that Christians reflect with responsibility on the fact that life, the family, and peace are goods that we should aspire to, in the effort to build a better future.” He also insisted that if the new version of the Constitution is in fact approved, the Bishops will continue “defending moral principles.” “And if it is not approved, neither will we claim victory, because we are not trying to win votes. Our fight is for the acknowledgement of Christian principles in society.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 17/9/2008)
