Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Durango (Agenzia Fides) – The situation is continually worsening in different parts of Mexico, creating great suffering. Bishop Enrique Sánchez Martínez, Auxiliary Bishop of Durango, has issued a letter to the community to react to this situation that is becoming increasingly difficult.
"The violence and insecurity prevailing in the State of Durango is attributable to organized crime, which is a complex and difficult thing to analyze," says Bishop Sánchez Martínez. "The current economic model has been in crisis for a long time and has been unable to solve the problems of the population. It has only worsened the economy."
The latest report of the ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America) notes that 40% of Latin Americans living in poverty live in Mexico. The Auxiliary Bishop of Durango comments: "Our country, where 27 million people lack access to food, health, housing, and education, is the only one that has experienced a worsening of poverty."
The secretariat of the Institute for Social Development believes that "54% of Mexicans (57.8 million) live on less than $4 a day, while 32% (34.3 million Mexicans) live on less than 2.5 dollars, and 24% (25.7 million) on less than $2. "The States with the highest poverty rate in the country are Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Durango, all states where there is a high percentage of indigenous population.
"The unequal distribution of wealth fosters organized crime. Inequality leads to dissatisfaction and a sense of injustice that generates violence and thus the climate of insecurity. There is a growing percentage of young people who do not have a stable job and a paycheck. Many of them end up in the ranks of organized crime in drug trafficking," said the Auxiliary Bishop.
Bishop Sánchez Martínez concludes the letter with an invitation "to think of a more humane economic model in the context of social justice, charity, and integral development. It 's time to think about the "common good."
Yesterday's news reports stated that the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, has admitted that the country lives "a new stage of the phenomenon of insecurity" and that "an escalation of violent crime" threatens the security of all Mexicans. Since Calderon took office in December 2006 and to date, organized crime has killed 25,000 people. Calderon said that over 90% of deaths attributed to organized crime are criminals, 5% to police and military, and less than 5% are attributed to civilians. According to the President, these data show that there is an ongoing war between drug cartels. The wave of violence, however, is characterized not only by the increased number of victims but also the cruelty of the attacks with beheadings, hangings, and car bombs to spread terror among the population. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 03/08/2010)
