Bishop of Panama asks to protect dignity from communities in Río Indio

Given the accusations of the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, who said that groups of the Catholic Church “Radicals of the Left” oppose the reservoir project in the Region of Columbus, the bishop of Colón-Kuna Yala, Mons. Manuel Echogavía, said that his position does not respond to political interests, but to the Gospel.

The plan, promoted by the authority of the Panama Canal, seeks to build a prey and a reservoir in the Indian river basin to guarantee the country’s water security and the operation of the Panama Canal, so it will be relocated and compensated for a sector of the population that will be affected. However, the initiative has generated criticism from social and ecclesial sectors.

The president of Panama declared in press conferenceon August 21, that the project has not been able to move forward because they have “taught with the project especially for the radical left and groups of the Catholic Radical Church of the left that have given the task to the Olympically lying on the project.”

Against the project

For his part, Mons. Ochogavía, In a mass held on August 24questioned the lack of guarantees for the communities of the area, warning that the inhabitants “will be affected and banished for the benefit of the development of this country.”

In this sense, he asked the beneficiaries and society in general to commit to “safeguarding the life and dignity of all those peasants, who will be affected by what happens there in the Indian River area. It is the responsibility of all Panamanians, because we cannot say: ‘We want the water and the others that are fried.’ That would be unfair and would not be a Christian.”

“It’s not ideology, it’s called Gospel”

In response to those who accuse him of having political motivations, Mons. Ochogavía said: “I will say this even if I am saying that I am from the left, the economic model we have is not working.” He also said that the current system “continues to generate poor, excluded”, remembering that in Columbus education and access to health in marginalized areas are scarce.

“When they talk to me that why the Church says what it says is because we as a church are on the roads and we are not asking for anyone. We are going to accompany, to be next to you, to do what we can do and that is not an ideology, it is called a gospel and if in this country there are people who do not understand this, what a shame,” said the prelate.

The bishop warned that Panama is building a “distinction society, where nobody’s life does not matter only money, where the law is the law of the company, invest little and win more.”

Work of the Catholic Church in Panama

By counting the participation of the Catholic Church in social matters and in the construction of the nation, the bishop recalled that the daughters of charity arrived in Panama in 1875, assuming health care, founding and managing hospitals.

He also pointed out that later, other congregations and religious orders, such as the Franciscan sisters of Maria Immaculate, the missioners of Mother Laura and the brothers of La Salle, contributed to education, health and vaccination in different regions of the country, teaching trades and literacy to communities to “give them an option to improve their lives.”

In addition, he pointed out that the Catholic Church was present at key moments in the recent history of Panama, from the financial support of the Panamanian Episcopate in “The separatist deed” of Colombia of 1903.

The Church, said the Prelate, welcomed persecuted politicians, “welcomed the seditious against the military’s dictatorship” hiding several of the sacristies and in the cured houses.