Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - “Venezuela has a future! And we should all contribute in building it. This is why all of us should recognize the existence of those who are not with us, those who think differently.” This is the exhortation issued by the Bishops of Venezuela, at the close of the 39th Extraordinary Plenary Assembly. The exhortation was entitled “Democratic Coexistence.” The Bishops show their concern for the present moment, as “in recent months, positions have grown farther apart and those in power make decisions which are contrary to the spirit and letter of the Constitution, the fundamental law of the land, thus manifesting a greater radicality in the revolutionary process.” They also mention that while “real efforts have been made to include the most marginalized sectors,” “there has been an increase in actions that generate or reinforce the exclusion of other sectors, in reducing or banning room for participation and citizenship.”
The Bishops also denounced that “it is impossible to find understanding nor obtain peace in a nation in which the government tries to force its plan for the country on the entire population,” especially considering the bill that was rejected in Venezuela's Referendum held on December 2, 2007. They are also concerned because “various figures in society are unaware of the will of the people...and impede or coerce the activity of legitimately elected authorities in the country.”
Another theme that worries the Bishops is the “growing arbitrariness of the justice administration, in which people are not treated according to their conditions as citizens, equal before the law, but according to their ideological affiliation or political stance.” The issue of employment has also been an object for reflection on the part of the Prelates, as “the frequent labor conflicts show a deep economic and social crisis which is aggravated by the world financial crisis,” which is why the leaders of the employment world are exhorted to “find ways that lead to the dignified conditions of workers and families.”
“The right of the citizen to true information,” the text says, “has been infringed upon by a progressive scale of official interventions with aims of limiting the autonomy of the media.” Moreover, various criteria are applied depending on the source of the media. In light of these problems, the Bishops are making an appeal to common sense, “when the time comes for placing solutions to the problems” and adopting “an attitude of critical collaboration that is carried out in search of the common good.” All are exhorted to “propose paths of understanding and consensus that allow for improvement, correction, and growth, and give hope and inspire deep changes that should take place in people, institutions, in spite of the difficulties...” The hope that the center of all discussion will be “the daily life of the people, the solution to their problems and yearnings, before any other ideological question that postpones and distances from solutions.”
“As Pastors, we feel committed to defending all human rights and contributing to the eradication of of poverty in Venezuela's society, and to promoting the defense of life and all that raises the value and dignity of the person,” the Bishops of Venezuela conclude. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 27/4/2009)
