Cardinal Cipriani calls on Peruvians not to trade truth for peace

Lima, Peru, May 3, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani of Lima is calling on Peruvians to reflect upon the recent acts of violence in southeastern Peru, underscoring that the truth cannot be played with if they want to bring peace to the country.

During his Sunday homily the Cardinal deplored the lynching of a mayor in southeastern Peru last week and expressed his solidarity with the victim’s family.

Cardinal Cipriani called Peruvians to reflection and to pray to God that truth and justice will again reign in the country.

“When we play with the truth, when we don’t care about giving each person his or her due (justice), then we find ourselves in a state of violence.  We cannot allow the eye for eye, tooth for a tooth mentality to take over in our society,” he explained.

The Cardinal went on, “We must pray to the Lord to be able to hear His word so we can find the truth, because without the truth there is no justice” and without either of these “there is no future, and if there is no future the present falls prey to violence.”

Moreover, he recalled that “pastors must raise their voices.  They must repeat that truth and justice are the basis upon which society moves forward.  Truth must be reestablished again so that we can again respect and trust in justice.”

“What a shame that upon returning to my country I encounter this tragedy, which is not a tragedy for political discussions.  We cannot watch a public authority get assassinated and simply turn it into a political discussion.”  He added, “There is something wrong with society if we do not react to dramatic events like these.”