Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Maceio (Agenzia Fides) – "As if the humiliation, discrimination, and neglect were not enough, now the homeless must also live with the fear of not seeing the sunrise because they are threatened with death." This is the complaint of Father Rogerio Madeiro, coordinator of the Pastoral Social Office of the Archdiocese of Maceió in Brazil, regarding the current situation of men and women living on the streets in the state of Alagoas (in northeastern Brazil). This year alone, 31 homeless people have been killed in different parts of the state. This week, a public session of the House of Councilors of the State will discuss the issue.
According to Fr. Madeiro, the most recent case occurred a few days ago, on October 31 in the capital, Alagoas. In the first ten months of 2010, there were 31 murders, 30 of them in Maceió. The crimes usually occur at night and in places where there is a greater concentration of people living on the streets, such as in the city's downtown area.
While the police suspect the killings are motivated by drugs and fights among the homeless, the coordinator of the Pastoral Social Office does not exclude the possibility of a "social cleansing." Even the prosecutor and the Order of Lawyers of Brazil do not leave out this hypothesis, since, they say, "we have never seen as many kills as we see now."
Fr. Madeiro recalled that the Municipal Government and the Catholic Church carry out social work with street people in Maceió, but this is not enough to "bridge the gap" in which there are about 400 people living on the streets of the capital. Faced with the high number of murders, the Archdiocese of Maceió has issued a note asking for an investigation on criminal cases and for respect for this sector of society. The document, signed by Archbishop Antônio Muniz Fernandes of Maceió, has also highlighted the lack of results from investigations into these cases. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 04/11/2010)
