| Aachen (Fides Service) - The Catholic Church in Liberia has played and continues to play a fundamental role to promote respect for human rights and national stability. This emerged from a recent report “The situation of human rights in Liberia: the dream of freedom” issued by the national office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Germany missio Aachen. “The report documents initiatives undertaken by the Church in Liberia when the country was governed by Charles Taylor to promote justice and peace, respect for human rights and citizens rights” Hans-Peter Hecking, head of “missio” Africa section the author of the report.
The report traces the recent history of Liberia to the present day on the basis of official statements and documents issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Liberia, which repeatedly denounced the precarious situation in the country calling attention to fundamental problems including growing poverty, lack of legislation and a distorted economy. As part of the Interreligious Council of Liberia, the local Catholic Church took part in preparations for peace negotiations in Accra (Ghana). However today, a year after president Charles Taylor went into exile, Liberia with its population of 3.3 million is one of the world’s most underdeveloped countries, characterised by social, economic and political degradation.
“At the present stage of political change, overcoming events which happened under Taylor and preparation for elections in October this year, the role of the local Catholic Church is once again of fundamental importance” Hans-Peter Hecking wrote. Very active in this sense is the Justice and Peace Commission, established by the Liberian Catholic Bishops’ Conference in 1991 as an independent human rights organisation. Its main duties are to denounce violation of human rights, protect prisoners, collect information on massacres under the Taylor regime and promote initiatives to educate the people with regard to citizens’ rights.
Missio Aachen supports the efforts of the local Catholic Church in Liberia especially programmes of education, awareness raising programmes in view of elections and for respect for human rights, the rehabilitation of child soldiers and reconstruction of Church infrastructures destroyed during the war. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 15/03/2005 -36 righe, 455 parole)
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