Dominican bishops call for an end to 'shameless corruption'

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Jan 16, 2009 / 13:15 pm

In a pastoral letter to mark the upcoming feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, patroness of the country, the bishops of the Dominican Republic have made an urgent call for an end to the malaise affecting Dominican society, especially corruption.

“Corruption, drug trafficking and crime are three great evils that affect Dominican society,” the bishops said in their pastoral letter.  In some sectors of society, these “works of the flesh” are made manifest in a “crude and shameless fashion,” they said.

The bishops denounced administrative corruption, fiscal evasion and indifference, which they described as “entrenched in some areas.” These places need Catholics to “make a clear and defined proclamation of the living Christ, with a message that brings hope to the world.”

“We need to sow the message of Christ in these sectors and among the urban and rural population, Dominican families and young people and immigrants,” the document states. The bishop also expressed their concern for the “constant loss of moral values due to the widespread sexual promiscuity” promoted in many cases by the media.  They also lamented the “progressive breakdown of moral and spiritual values,” which has led Dominicans to promote a culture “founded on greed, the obtaining of power, sexual licentiousness and selfishness.” 

In a reference to the Pauline year, the bishops concluded their statement by calling on Catholics to “listen to the Apostle and learn from him,” as a “master of the faith and of the truth, in which the reasons of the unity between the disciples of Christ are rooted.”