Guatemala City, Guatemala, May 1, 2006 / 22:00 pm
In response to the current energy crisis produced by climbing oil prices, Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno of Guatemala said this week that politicians should lead the way in living a simpler life.
The cardinal said he supported President Oscar Berger’s announcement that the country would change to daylight saving time and his call to conserve energy by carpooling and walking more. “But politicians should lead the way in living more austere,” he said, “by carpooling and walking” to work. “If the president begins to walk as an example, I’ll join him, because walking is also good for the heart,” the cardinal joked.
He noted that most Guatemalans use the public transportation system and consume little energy due to poverty. “Our leaders are the ones who should lead the way in living simply, in a visible way, so that therefore our people are encouraged.”