Quito (Agenzia Fides) - The Ecuadorian Bishops have denounced that "it is a very serious crime" to take advantage of this painful situation to get rich fraudulently. In a declaration entitled "Crisis and hope", the Bishops stress that "the serious health crisis has highlighted the endemic defects of the State that have never been addressed in a clear and decisive way".
The Bishops' message was published before the start of a new opening phase, following the severe restrictions adopted to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. A second phase, indicated with a yellow traffic light, allows the opening of the churches for personal prayer and the sacrament of reconciliation.
A new phase of "hope and reunion" which, however, for the Bishops, has left a "trace of pain and uncertainty" due to the serious health, economic, social and ethical crisis that the nation is experiencing and which "has discovered endemic failures which have never been addressed in a clear and decisive way "by a State, which today is "indebted and unable to fulfill its health, education, work and safety obligations".
In this context of fragility and mistrust, the Ecuadorian Church urges all social, political and economic actors to face the present with "decision and transparency in the search for the common good" and to assume their responsibilities in a "clear, consensual and ethical way", leaving aside personal or party interests.
After ex pressing gratitude to all the health workers and all those who have made a courageous and sacrificial commitment to assist and help the people most affected by the emergency, the Episcopate invites all citizens to undertake this new stage with "seriousness, prudence and responsibility "in compliance with the preventive measures that have been fundamental to "curb the contagion".
Ecuador records 36,000 cases and 3,060 deaths for Covid-19. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 23/5/2020)
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