AMERICA/GUATEMALA - Indifference of the government before violence, the bishops raise their voices recalling the open wounds

Guatemala City (Agenzia Fides) - In a message sent to Fides Agency, the Bishops of Guatemala wanted to celebrate the 15 years of the murder of Mgr. Juan Gerardi (April 26) with an invitation to reflect on his testimony which is still alive in the community: his commitment to serving the poor and the defense of peace.
The document recalls what was published in the "Peace Agreement" at the end of the war: "Engaging with the people of Guatemala to the point of eradicating the causes that produced the conflict and the evils of a 36-year civil war."
"In recent years, the text says, we have seen a political stop-gap and not a solution to poverty or social exclusion or forced migration. There is still lack of respect for human dignity, a dangerous polarization in society and serious conflicts in the mining field." The document concludes with a condemnation of violence and appeal to the construction of real peace in Guatemala, with the words and example of Bishop Gerardi: "Guatemala nunca más (Guatemala never again), because the painful experiences of the past must not be repeated." (CE) (Agenzia Fides 29/04/2013)