On the first Sunday of Advent, the bishops of the Catholic Church in Bolivia emphasized the need to prepare the heart with hope and harmony, leaving aside confrontations and selfishness, and putting into practice solidarity with those who need it.
It is the case of Mons. Aurelio PesoaBishop of Beni and president of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, who highlighted the need to renew faith at this time, as a way to face current challenges and build a future in peace and justice.
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“In our country we talk about non-violence, but we all witness violence daily,” lamented the prelate, and in the face of social tensions he called to reject all forms of aggression, and to have a deep reflection on the attitudes that divide and harm.
“Violence is not just physical. It also manifests itself in words that disqualify others or in half-truths that sow distrust,” he noted.
In that sense, he called to act responsibly in the face of the problems that afflict society, and to renew at this time hope in the God of life, “who will bring justice and salvation.”
For his part, the Archbishop of La Paz and vice president of the Episcopate, Mons. Percy Galvánasked the rulers to put aside physical violence and verbal aggression and to show their solidarity with the Bolivian population.
“As Catholics we raise our voice of alert to our authorities, those people who have large personal incomes, so that they now show their solidarity, so that they share with others,” he urged.
“It is not fair for a public servant, for a politician to collect 40 or 50 thousand bolivianos (salary and bonus) (between 5,000 and 7,000 US dollars), when the majority of the population has to settle for a few cents,” stated Mons. Galván .
In Bolivia, the economic crisis hits society hard, especially those most in need.
In recent months, the lack of foreign currency, fuel shortages and transportation blockades resulting from political confrontations between different factions of the MAS (Movement towards Socialism) caused the prices of products in the family basket to rise.
The Archbishop of Santa Cruz, Mons. René Leigue Cesaríencouraged people to prepare now to live “peace, love and happiness” on Christmas Eve, instead of resentment, hatred and lack of reconciliation.
“We are in a complicated moment in our reality, a very difficult moment,” the prelate acknowledged, and called for this to be a reason to say “enough of all this” and decide to change.
“Let us leave behind everything that prevents us from seeing others as a person, as an image of God. Enough of all this and let’s start preparing for that encounter with the Lord,” he encouraged.
The archbishop referred to children’s homes, which need help because “everything that comes in is consumed.” The authorities, he noted, “are not seeing all this and are not caring about those children.”
“They are fighting for other things, for power. And the children in the homes, what? “I think this is a real concern and should be a concern for all of us,” he said.
“That we don’t just show up at Christmas giving some gift, and the rest of the time we forget that children need it every day,” he concluded.
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.