Mexican bishop urges faithful to help end the cancer of violence

Mexico City, Mexico, Feb 6, 2008 / 17:31 pm

Bishop Eduardo Carmona Ortega of Puerto Escondido in southern Mexico has called on his people to make a “pledge of love for Mexico and therefore a pledge for peace, for justice and the law,” in order to “eradicate violence in Oaxaca”.

During a recent press conference, Bishop Carmona referred to the continuous acts of violence in the costal region of Oaxaca and said, “Organized crime has begun to permeate the institutions of the government and the police force.”  He said a diminishing of violence is an urgent need for the region.  “Violence is a scar, a cancer that we have here on the coast,” he said, “and we must eradicate it, we must work for peace.”

After recalling that in his visits to the different towns he has seen how violence leads to misery, Bishop Carmona stressed that misery “is like a form of veiled violence” that “occurs when the rights of people are not fulfilled or respected.”  “We all have the duty to protect the rights of people and to address the most pressing needs of our indigenous and black communities,” he said.
 
Confrontations in the region of Oaxaca increased when teachers and local officials demanded the resignation of Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.  Police have responded by trying to suppress protests.