AMERICA/EL SALVADOR - CELAM creates a commission to study the situation in Venezuela

Wednesday, 10 May 2017 episcopal conferences   evangelization   bishops   human rights   international politics  

San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop Juan Espinoza, auxiliary Bishop of Morelia (Mexico) and Secretary General of the Latin American Bishops' Council (CELAM) at the beginning of the XXXVI Ordinary General Assembly of CELAM announced that this organization will make a statement regarding the deterioration of human rights in Venezuela. According to the note sent to Fides, Mgr. Espinoza also informed about the creation of a special Commission to study what is happening in the country.
The statement is motivated by the serious situation the South American country is experiencing, where the repression of opposition demonstrations has caused more than forty deaths and where demonstrators went to the seat of the Bishops' Conference of Venezuela to ask for the intervention of the Church in order to put an end to violence on behalf of State forces.
The Commission will be chaired by Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua (Nicaragua) and will be formed by Mgr. Diego Rafael Padrón, Bishop of Cumana (Venezuela); Mgr. Elkin Fernando Álvarez, Auxiliary Bishop of Medellin (Colombia); Mgr. Edmundo Valenzuela, Archbishop of Asunción (Paraguay) and Elvy Monzat of the Justice and Solidarity Department of CELAM.
The XXXVI Ordinary General Assembly of CELAM takes place from 9 to 12 May in El Salvador (see Fides 9/05/2017). Yesterday, at the opening of the Assembly, the letter that Pope Francis sent was read to encourage the Pastor's commitment who along with the laity must go forward with the missionary Church in America, and as the Pope pointed out in his letter, looking at the example of Our Lady of Aparecida, whose image this year celebrates 300 years since its discovery. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 10/05/2017)


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