AMERICA/COLOMBIA - The army must be armored against corruption

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - "The army must be armored against corruption", said His Exc. Mgr. Fabio Suescun Mutis, Vice President of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia. The brief interview, sent to Fides Agency by the local Episcopal Conference, was released following the corruption scandal which came to light within the national army.
President Santos in fact dismissed 6 Generals of the Colombian army for the mismanagement of contracts or for external services carried out. The case exploded on Sunday evening, February 16th, when a number of contracts made by the Army for the purchase of equipment, and more were made public.
The Bishop expressed his "pain and concern" about these facts, so he suggested three points of reflection for the entire Catholic community: "First: this institution must have a humble attitude in recognizing these facts; Second: one has to wait for the results of the investigation and think about the reality and the ethical formation of its members; Third: we must all respect the generosity of the men and women of the army, not everyone is corrupt. There are people who have great values and generosity".
Then Mgr. Fabio Suescun Mutis added: "The investigations will tell the truth, but the army continues to have the confidence of the people". In this regard, the Bishop urged Colombians to continue to rely on the army: "They are good men fighting for their country". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 21/02/2014)