AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Catholics of Concepcion: "Let us pray for the release of our kidnapped brothers"

Monday, 12 October 2020 human rights   area crisis   violence   solidarity   armed groups  

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Concepción (Agenzia Fides) - Decisive repudiation of the criminal acts committed by the the group known as the Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) and the request for an immediate release was expressed by the Catholic community of the Diocese of the Most Holy Conception of Paraguay through a statement addressed to public opinion, presented and read during the Mass celebrated on Sunday 11 October and sent to Agenzia Fides. In the note, signed by the Bishop of Concepción, Mgr. Miguel Ángel Cabello, priests from all over the Diocese of Paraguay have also rejected speculations that seek to associate members of the Church and the EPP, urging Fuerza di Tarea Conjunta (FTC) agents to redouble their efforts to stop the kidnappers.
"We pray for the prompt release of our kidnapped brothers: Félix Urbieta, Edelio Morínigo and Óscar Denis. We condemn the violation of the dignity of the human person perpetrated by the criminal group that defines itself EPP and we reject any kind of violence as a means of social claim", says the statement sent to Fides. "We express our sincere solidarity with the families of our kidnapped brothers and we encourage them, even in the midst of pain and anguish, to keep faith in God and hope firmly", continues the text.
"The Church of the North has a long experience in accompanying the people, humble and impoverished, in their effort for survival and in the search for a better future, but the Church has never compromised with ideological tendencies or power groups", underlines the statement.
The diocesan community requests, once again, the presence of State forces in the area: "We ask, once again, for a stronger presence of the State in our region, to improve education, health, agricultural production and provide training opportunities and dignified work, in particular for young people", the text highlights. "We strongly urge the mass media to always offer objective, honest and responsible information, avoiding the dissemination of false and slanderous information content, because they do not contribute to building the just, respectful and united society to which we aspire".
The text ends with the request to pray "for the release of our kidnapped brothers, for peace in the north and for a more dignified future for all in Paraguay".
To date, in the department of Concepcion, three people have been kidnapped by the EPP: non-commissioned officer Edelio Morínigo, 2,191 days ago, farmer Félix Urbieta, 1,430 days ago and the former Vice-President of the Republic, Oscar Denis, 33 days shaken the country. International organizations have also started to follow the story.
The United Nations Office in Paraguay declared in this regard: "The United Nations calls for the immediate release of kidnapped persons and respect for the fundamental rights recognized by the national Constitution and by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights". (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 12/10/2020)


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