Bolivian archbishop calls for greater respect for freedom and human dignity

La Paz, Bolivia, Jul 17, 2009 / 20:46 pm

During his greeting to mark Bolivia’s Bicentennial celebration yesterday, Archbishop Edmundo Abastoflor of La Paz encouraged all Bolivians to work for an increase in authentic freedom that respects the dignity of each and every person.
 
In a video-taped message, the archbishop said, “Let us grow in freedom. Freedom is fundamental gift for the person. If there was a cry for freedom from the attachments that existed at that time [200 years ago] to the power that dominated Bolivia, today there still exist attachments in the life of our nation and the lives of our people.”  He also underscored the need to grow in mutual respect for each other.
 
The archbishop went on to explain that growing in freedom “means at heart to increase respect for the dignity of persons. I hope we all grow in dignity and I hope we respect the dignity of all, not only of the powerful and of those who have money and knowledge, but also of the humblest and poorest among us, those who are on the fringes of our society and suffer from a lack of knowledge, perhaps because of a lack of education but also because of a lack of access to health care because they don’t have the means, a decent place to live or work.”
 
He ended his message encouraging all Bolivians to work for a more “harmonious, authentic and integral development for the entire country.”