Archbishop of La Paz encourages Bolivians to preserve unity and democracy in the country

La Paz, Bolivia, Jan 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Archbishop Edmundo Abastoflor of La Paz, Bolivia, is calling on the government and on the Bolivian people to “dialogue untiringly” in order “to persevere the unity and democracy” of this South American country.

During a visit to the headquarters of Adveniat in Essen, Germany, the archbishop said, “We need to be patient, to seek dialogue and find solutions for the betterment of the country through peaceful means and not through violence.”  Bolivia has seen an outbreak of violence recently in connection with the extreme economic measures taken by President Carlos Mesa at the end of 2004.

Archbishop Abastoflor’s visited Adveniat, a charitable organization under the auspices of the Bishops Conference of Germany, in order to discuss the situation facing Bolivia and to see what kind of assistance Adveniat could provide his archdiocese.

“We must make an effort to find unity and to walk together in democratic diversity in order to attain stability and progress in the country,” Archbishop Abastoflor stated.  “The possibility of greater autonomy for the different regions and provinces is good, as long as this does not lead to a breakdown in the fundamental unity of the Bolivia.”

The archbishop stressed the need for dialogue to find solutions to the country’s problems and he reiterated the Church’s offer to mediate talks between the different factions in the country.