Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Posadas (Agenzia Fides) - “400 years after the first Jesuit arrived, united in the heart of a missionary region that we have once more observed as a common heritage of all our peoples, we wish to echo these painful situations of insecurity and violence, while raising a voice of hope in corresponsibility in establishing a society with greater justice and solidarity,” says the Final Message from the 24th Encounter of Border Dioceses, which was held May 18-20 in Posadas (Argentina) (see Fides 19/5/2009). The encounter, which was entitled “Rebuilding brotherhood amidst situations of insecurity and violence,” was attended by Bishops, priests, religious, and laity from the “border dioceses” of Concordia, Gualeguaychú, and Goya of Argentina; Santo Ângelo, Uruguaiana, Foz de Iguacú, and Chapecó of Brazil; Encarnación and Ciudad del Este of Paraguay; and Salto and Tacuarembó of Uruguay. The participants observed that “society, in its harmonic and peaceful coexistence is seeing a decadence in many Latin American nations, due to an increase in violence, which is manifest in robberies, assaults, kidnapping, and assassinations that destroy more human lives each day and bring grief upon families and entire societies.” The violence has various manifestations, such as: “organized crime and drug-trafficking, guerrilla groups, violence in the city slums, youth crime groups.” Moreover, they consider the causes of this situation, including: “making money an idol, the spread of an individualist and utilitarian ideology, a lack of respect for the dignity of each person, the breakdown of the social fabric, corruption even among the military and police force, and a lack of social equality in public policies.”
In light of this situation, “reductionist solutions that merely seek to increase the severity of punishments,” should be avoided. Instead, there is a need to find real solutions through an integration of “cultural and structural dimensions with the much-needed intervention of prevention policies and crime suppression.”
They also consider that at this important time, there is a need to “educate for peace.” In this sense, they recall the fundamental role of families as the primary agents of social education, and the role of schools, community organizations, and the mass media in educating in values. However, in order to educate for peace, “one cannot only communicate values, but must represent them in a constant and democratic dialogue with all those involved. It also implies preaching with one's own example and concrete experiences, in which coexistence and brotherhood are a fruit of a greater equality between genders and among social classes, races, cultures, and regions.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 2/6/2009)
