Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tegucigalpa (Agenzia Fides) - The Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa, His Exc. Mgr. Juan José Pineda, urged the faithful to act in a consistent manner with the Catholic religion, to counter the violence that has bloodied the country. In the context of the beginning of the month on Sunday, September 2, the Bishop recalled that "in the history and lyrics of our national anthem, our heroes and our people have been stained with blood, today Honduras continues to be 'blood-stained' because of violence in the country."
A letter sent to Fides reports the reflection made by the Bishop in his homily, where he denounced: "In our country there is violence, there is no peace. There is still hatred and do we not see fraternity. For a Christian, it is not enough to go to Mass on Sundays. I am not saying that this celebration is not important, but it must correspond to a coherent life. "Mgr. Pineda urged the faithful to live their faith, to help the needy, not to "get their hands dirty with violence and the things of this world ", which often turn away from God. The person who lives justice is not engaged in extraordinary things, but lives in an honest manner, has loyal intentions, does not think of doing harm to others, nor slanders his/her neighbor, does not lend money to wear and tear, or acts against the innocent.
Lately religious authorities have commented on the latest report published by the Observatory of Violence, drafted by the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), where we read that in 2011 the average daily number of murders had reached 20 victims. The report, released also in the local press, noted an increase compared to 2010. The total number of deaths due to external causes was 9,799 (7,104 murders, 1,098 road accidents, 730 deaths due to undetermined causes, 551 due to other causes and 316 suicides). (CE) (Agenzia Fides 04/09/2012)
