AMERICA/NICARAGUA - The Bishops for the elections of November 5: We must become protagonists of our country

Monday, 23 October 2017 politics   elections   bishops   episcopal conferences  

CEN

Matagalpa (Agenzia Fides) - Fifteen days before the municipal elections, set for November 5, the Nicaraguan Bishops publish a message saying that nothing has changed in the electoral system of the country, but they call on citizens to be protagonists and to decide the future of their nation.
"We Bishops of the Episcopal Conference (CEN) believe that most of the problems in this area remain the same as we already mentioned in the statement of 26 September 2012 (No 5) and in the document that emerged in the dialogue with the President of the Republic on 21 May 2014 (n.39)", reads the document of the CEN sent to Fides.
"We must not wait for extreme situations to awaken awareness of responsibility on political and social issues", continues the text.
The language of the Bishops is clear and straightforward in describing the situation: "The demoralization of a people leads to apathy, to let others decide, let us never forget that we, the people of Nicaragua, have the last word and decide the future that the country has to assume.
The strength that manages to transform a society is that of the people who, encouraged by justice and freedom, builds in the virtues of the common good, truth and social justice. We are protagonists, not spectators!". Therefore they continue: "In the context of the present world, where politics is scarsely appreciated, we urgently need politicians that serve with mercy and, quoting Pope Francis, unmask the fact that politics is made only of predators".
Finally, he invites everyone to pray for this political event: "The power of prayer can guide history". Mgr. Silvio Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, with regards to the message of the Episcopal Conference, explains to Fides that citizenship must decide their future, "this is the heart of the document, because Nicaragua's problem is not electoral, but is the lack of citizens' awareness". "We invite all not to be spectators of reality, this is also an invitation to political discernment, in order not to allow political predators to continue to dominate Nicaragua and that the people themselves decide wisely, to recover what we lost in the country: the ability to exercise citizen rights", he said
Mgr. Báez, points out that in the country "there are no conditions that guarantee fair, honest and transparent electoral processes", therefore the decision to vote or not "is something that remains in the consciousness of each citizen". (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 23/10/2017)


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