Sunday, February 18, 2018

Statement of the Honduras Conference of Religious

CONFERENCE OF RELIGIOUS OF HONDURAS (CONFEREH)

PRONOUNCEMENT

The Prophetic Voice of the Consecrated Life

“Console, say Yahweh, your God, console my people.” (Isaiah 40: 1)

As a result of the political crisis which the Honduran population is living, we,  the Conference of Religious Women and Men, declare our solidarity with the people of Honduras, calling upon the governmental authorities to hear the cries and the protests of the people.

1.     Respect for Democracy: enough of so much violence against the people, now that their will is not respected, their voice is repressed, using fore which is brutal and total disproportionate of a military invasion which, with its behavior, intimidates and attacks the citizenry, becoming deaf to their cries and protests, causing them to act aggressively and violently.

2.     We demand a professional police force, which takes care of the integrity of Hondurans and which is at the service of the citizenry, ceasing the abuse of military and police force against the people. Likewise, there is a demand for a follow-up with a full and responsible investigation which in an immediate and expeditious manner finds those responsible for all the killings, the disappearances and other violations of human rights. No more impunity.

3.     We denounce the wave of repression against the social, political, and church leaders who live with anxiety and in an environment of terror with death threats, violation of their legitimate right to protest or the exercise of their profession. If there is still democracy in the country, we therefore ask for liberty and respect for life, the free expression of thought, the right of participation, and the possibility to come to agree or disagree without discrimination or violence.

4.     We denounce the ruses of a Congress of deputies totally biased in favor of particular interests, lacking conscience, who, usurping the honorable exercise of representing, are approving laws that put at risk the food security of the people, health, free quality public education, etc., as well as the security of the citizenry and national sovereignty. We demand that these laws, before being approved in Congress, be made known and debated by all the people and receive the support of civil organizations, taking into account the participation of the sectors to which they respond according to their area.

5.     With sadness and concern we see how our youth, children, elderly, indigenous, are being assassinated or are dying a slow death having lost their vital force: food, health education, culture, worthy work. We are preoccupied seeing the large number of Honduran men and women of all ages leaving the country, legally or illegally, a forced movement of migration in dimensions every day more alarming, obliged by state violence or common violence, for the lack of local opportunities.

6.     Being an impoverished state, we demand that the little money there is of the people not be invested in unnecessary expenses and that the controlling bodies demand transparency in public administration… No more corruption.

7.     We denounce the contradictory policies of the government, to protect the environment and on the other hand promote mining, hydroelectric concessions which despoil the rural population of their water resources, forests, flora and fauna, with the alleged development of the country and of renewable resources, when they make attacks on the patrimony of the communities, violate human rights and plunder their resources, cannot be the option for the development of our country nor to combat climate change.

8.     We encourage the social organizations, popular forces, churches and all men and women of good will to be now more than ever vigilant in safeguarding, protecting and defending the nation in all its dimensions, since life is now being threatened.

9.     We invite all men and women of Honduras to not lose this opportunity since a crisis gives us the possibility to advance and construct, to improve and fulfill the aspirations of a people.

10.  As religious women and men we commit ourselves to pray and to continue accompanying those who most suffer, and weak or excluded, at the same time we encourage those who struggle for peace and justice to persevere with boldness, enthusiasm, and hope.

Tegucigalpa, February 12, 2018
Conferencia de Religiosas y Religiosos.



The original Spanish can be found at the JPIC Honduras website: here





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