Ecuador: Catholic Church asks presidential candidates to present viable programs for the country

The Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference (CEC) called on the candidates who will participate in the elections on February 9, 2025 to present programs that are viable for the country, as well as to put aside attacks because “no political adversary should be considered an enemy.”

On the occasion of the 156th Plenary Assembly of the CEC, the bishops issued a statement to address the current socio-political situation of the country, which still suffers from the action of drug trafficking and which is preparing to elect in a few months the new president and members of the Parliament.

As recalled, the current president Daniel Noboa was elected in November 2023 to complete the 2021-2025 period, which was cut short after the then president Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly and called extraordinary elections.

Therefore, for the February elections, more than 13 million citizens will have to choose between more than ten presidential candidates.

“In the midst of the electoral process already underway,” the bishops say, “it is time, much more than on other occasions, for the political class to present viable programs that show the direction that the country will take if it comes to power, free of all vanity and revenge, of all forgetfulness to care for the poorest.”

“No more rhetoric, no more confrontations, no verbal and legal violence. It is essential to guard the constitutional order and respect it absolutely,” they point out, and highlight that, although imperfect, democracy “continues to be the best alternative to our search for justice, peace, and equity.”

In the text, the prelates warn that Ecuador is facing “one of its greatest social, political and economic crises, which impacts us all and causes daily life to be altered and the normal course of society to be affected.”

However, they encourage the population not to give in “to the temptation of fatalism or hopelessness. In the light of the Word of God, faith invites us to always see beyond and to think that the impossible is always possible.”

“Faith gives us comfort and the certainty that we are not alone. Faith illuminates a light of hope in the midst of the darkness of violence. Faith gives us the strength to overcome suffering, to face adversity and have the conviction that God does not abandon his children,” they say.

Regarding drug trafficking, organized crime and corruption networks, they indicate that they will not be defeated “if we are not capable of seeking unity and not division; to care for the most fragile and vulnerable; to favor any initiative that seeks development; to redistribute wealth for all.”

“This takes courage, the courage that comes from a noble heart. For this reason, it is the task of the authorities, businessmen and society as a whole, to take care of the poor of this country, who bear the greatest weight of the crisis and who live at this moment without light, without peace, without work.” , they express.

For its part, the Ecuadorian Episcopate reiterates in the statement its “firm commitment to continue working to create safe spaces in our institutions for minors and vulnerable people, in such a way that their rights are recognized, protected and respected.”

Likewise, its “full collaboration with the competent authorities so that the aggressors are investigated and judged in accordance with the established civil and canonical processes.”

“Once again, in the specific field of our pastoral mission, recognizing our limits, trusting in the presence of God, in the midst of our people, we reiterate our commitment to be close to each and every one of you being ‘Missionaries of Hope’ and sharing the only wealth we have, Jesus Christ, the Lord,” the text concludes.