AMERICA/PERU - Call of the Bishops for the elections on the need to come out of the ongoing multi-dimensional crisis together

Wednesday, 17 March 2021 elections   social situation   economy   episcopal conferences  

Andina

Lima (Agenzia Fides) - In a document entitled "The politics we need", the Bishops of Peru have expressed their views on the next elections to be held next April. In the message signed on March 15, they point out that Peruvians are currently approaching the Bicentennial elections amid one of the worst crises in republican life in the country. "Perhaps this is the worst because it is a multi-dimensional crisis: health, economic, moral, educational and political, which is seriously hitting our present and can further influence our future as a nation", they say.
This is why they highlight that those who present themselves as candidates have a greater responsibility because they have to think about the fate of the country, besides cooperating in the revival of politics and the strengthening of society. They point out, however, that the entity of the political crisis is so strong that no candidate or political party will be able to pull the country out on its own. "The joint work and effort of all Peruvians is necessary because from this multi-dimensional crisis we will all come out of it together or we will not come out at all" they reaffirm.
In their document, the Bishops also speak of the ideal profile of good politicians, underlining that candidates must be honest and responsible people, endowed with a spirit of service, capable of dialogue and of building bridges in favor of the common good, "which is the good of all of us who are part of Peru".
Finally, they invite the population to participate in political life in a responsible manner, insofar as voting is a duty that belongs to everyone. "We are convinced that it is possible in our country for politics to become the highest form of charity", they conclude.
Last November, the Bishops declared: "It is urgent to continue and promote the fight against all the faces of corruption revealed by the social cancer which must be definitively cured. Therefore, we must not stop. The authorities' commitment and responsibility must continue this fight in order to achieve a more transparent and fairer Peru" (See Fides, 12/11/2020). It is in these terms that the Episcopal Conference of Peru (CEP) called on the Peruvian population and authorities to pursue the political program and to follow the calendar of the next presidential elections in 2021, after the Peruvian Congress dismissed President Martín Vizcarra (see Fides 11/11/2020). Political tension is strong in the country, where 3 presidents have succeeded in less than four years, and where the pandemic has 925,000 confirmed cases and 35,000 deaths. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 17/3/2021)


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