Santa Cruz (Fides Service) - The Catholic Bishops of Bolivia have called for calm after violent street riots in Santa Cruz on February 11, when 16 people were killed and 150 injured. The riots broke out after an official announcement on of a new direct proportional 22.5%. tax on income. This caused a violent protest involving also the police and led to bloody clashes with the army, called in to stop the riots. Taking advantage of the situation people looted and sacked shops and homes. In a message to the nation the Bishops call for national peace and deplore the fact that two state institutions whose duty it is to keep order should resort to violence. Learning of the strife, Pope John Paul II sent a telegramme of sympathy, via Cardinal Angelo Sodano, to Cardinal Julio Terrazas Sandoval, president of the Bolivian Bishops' Conference, assuring his prayers for the dead and encouraging everyone to work to restore a climate of serenity and reconciliation.
In their message the Bishops say "it is time to eliminate for ever recourse to violence to solve the problems of our society. We call on all national leaders in politics, in society and also in the media to build a climate of respect and reciprocal listening. Let arms be put aside and brotherhood and reasonableness prevail." In an earlier message the Bishops agreed that the problems facing the Bolivian people are real and serious but they said that to overcome them there must be a culture of dialogue and agreement putting aside all forms of discrimination. The Bishops indicated as "indispensable reference points the common good, respect for human rights and constitutional guarantees based on truth, justice, love and freedom" RZ (Fides Service 14/2/2003 EM lines 21 Words: 308)