AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Concerns about the increase in violence, the Church always willing to facilitate dialogue

Friday, 28 October 2022 social situation   politics   episcopal conferences  

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Santa Cruz (Agenzia Fides) - "As Pastor of the People of God in Santa Cruz, I express my deep concern at the increase in violence that fuels more violence. It is deplorable to live in a situation of pain and suffering caused by the disagreement on the date of the Population and Housing Census, which according to common feeling, should be a reason for unity, joy, hope for better days for all". Thus writes the Archbishop of Santa Cruz, Msgr. René Leigue Cesarí, in a message released yesterday, October 27.
The Archbishop recalls that "it is our task as the Catholic Church to stand by our people", " and then launches "an urgent appeal to the competent authorities" who are called upon to resolve this problem, calling on them to leave aside partisan or sectoral interests and demonstrate their ability to serve. Archbishop René Leigue Cesarí also addressed the people of Santa Cruz "so that they do not get caught up in the spiral of violent provocations". The country does not want more pain, but more good" and "we want peace for Bolivia and especially for Santa Cruz".
The Santa Cruz region, the richest in Bolivia and seen as the country's economic engine, has been on an indefinite strike for the past six days. The government is demanding that the census planned for 2024 be carried out as early as 2023. The last census took place in 2012. A new census was originally planned for this year, but was postponed to 2024 by the government due to the problems caused by the corona pandemic.
In Bolivia, taxes are centralized and revenues are distributed according to the population of each department or region according to the census. The Santa Cruz Civic Committee, which brings together local organizations, believes that postponing the census would harm the region not only for economic reasons but also for political reasons, since the distribution of seats in the Chamber of Deputies depends on census results. If this were done in 2023, the results could already be used in the 2025 elections. This would probably give Santa Cruz three more MPs. The government, meanwhile, accuses the Citizens' Committee of using the census as a pretext to mobilize the opposition and destabilize the government itself.
On the fringes of the strike, there were a series of sometimes violent clashes between supporters and opponents, which also spread to other cities such as La Paz and Cochabamba. So far there has been one dead and several injured.
Since midnight on Thursday 27, the Bolivian government has temporarily banned the export of six basic food products, including soy, sugar and beef, because of the strike in the Santa Cruz agricultural region, citing "a risk of shortages".
The Confederación de Empresarios Privados de Bolivia (CEPB), the country's largest organization, urgently called on a return to dialogue in the face of the escalation of violence and an increasingly out of control situation, due to political decisions "that are dangerously leading to a scenario of confrontation between Bolivians and a generalized violation of constitutional rights and guarantees"
The ombudsman's office, Defensoria del Pueblo, also expressed concern about social protests that "violate human rights," prompting the parties to the conflict to remove obstacles to dialogue.
The Bolivian Bishops' Conference, in its October 25 communiqué entitled "Dialogue for the good of our people", also expresses its concern about what is happening and stresses that the Catholic Church is always ready to promote dialogue. "As a church, we will always be ready to promote dialogue in order to achieve the common good of people. We consider it important to distinguish between the task of mediation and that of facilitation.
Therefore, we affirm that we will always be ready , to provide orientation, to offer criteria, to facilitate dialogue and to contribute to agreements, but not to mediate", the text reads
In this context, the Bishops' Conference calls on the parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table and engage in sincere dialogue, "in an open mind, without threats or intransigence, in search of peace, truth and justice". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 28/10/2022)


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