AMERICA/MEXICO - Mexican bishop awarded for commitment to migrants, indigenous, and marginalized

Oslo (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop José Raúl Vera López, Bishop of Saltillo (Mexico) was awarded the annual Raft Award for his work in defense of immigrants and natives by the Norwegian foundation which bears the same name and is committed to defending human rights. Bishop Vera Lopez was chosen for his fight for human rights and social justice, said the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Foundation: "He is an uncompromising critic who faces up to abuse of power and is a valiant defender of immigrants, indigenous, and other marginalized groups in Mexican society." Before becoming Bishop of Saltillo, Bishop Vera worked in the Chiapas region between 1995 and 1999 on a campaign for the rights of farmers and indigenous people.
Four winners of the Thorolf Rafto Memorial – Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma), Jose Ramos-Horta (East Timor), Kim Dae-jung (South Korea), and Shirin Ebadi (Iran) – went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, although not in the same year. Bishop Vera, a Dominican, age 65, is Bishop of the Diocese of Saltillo, near the border with the United States, in an area that has been shaken by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the declared fight of President Felipe Calderon against cartels.
While sharing the concern of the government for the power and violence of drug traffickers, Bishop Raul Vera “criticizes the methods used by police and armed forces in fighting crime, and also criticizes the failure in addressing the social causes that are underlying this situation," said the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Foundation. The drug-related violence has caused 28,000 deaths since President Calderon has begun to combat drug cartels, after taking office in late 2006.
The Rafto Award of $10,000 has been awarded annually since 1987 in the Norwegian city of Bergen. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 will be announced in Oslo on October 8. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 24/09/2010)