Agenzia Fides

Quito (Agenzia Fides) - The fundamental right to freedom of worship in force in the country was asked by the Archbishop of Cuenca, His Excellency Mons Luis Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M., following the relocation of a statue of the Virgin Mary, some sacred images and an altar, which occurred in the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital, in Cuenca, this past weekend.
According to information gathered by Fides, in 2011 a provision of the government asked to use in the best possible way the space in hospitals and schools. This was the reason why the sacred images were removed from the hospital, until a chapel is built, said the governor of Azuay, Humberto Cordero.
The Catholic community has responded through the media and social networks, and the Archbishop of Cuenca, Mgr. Luis Cabrera Herrera, expressed his indignation in a statement that he sent to the President of the Republic. Mgr. Cabrera, who is the Vice President of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador, said that these images in hospitals instill courage and hope to Catholics in difficult times such as illness and death. The Archbishop's letter concludes with a request to revise this provision, by virtue of respect for human and religious sensitivity. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 16/11/2012)