Fires in Bolivia: Concerned Catholic Church asks the authorities to act

Bishops of Bolivia focused their reflections this Sunday on two problems that the community is going through: on the one hand, the drama of the forest fires that affect eastern Bolivia, and on the other, the political and power struggles that raise tensions in the society.

The president of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference and Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Beni, Mons. Aurelio Pesoa Riberacalled for a commitment from all authorities. “While the country is being destroyed by burning, others do not seem to care,” denounced the prelate.

The bishop warned about the human attitude that allows itself to be trapped by a desire to obtain temporary advantages: “This attitude deepens further when it places its hopes on what is temporary and earthly. Because his gaze is interested in power, money and dominance,” he warned.

When referring to the fires, he stated that while the country burns, “they are fighting or measuring forces, who has more power. Do you love the Bolivian homeland or is it just for speeches? “He questioned.

In this framework, he called for fraternal love, which should not seek one’s own personal ambition, but rather the good of all, “and do the will of God, who makes the sun rise on the good and the evil, and makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust.” ”.

“Are we servants of all or do we seek others to be at our service; “What is our treatment and conduct with those who are under our authority?” asked Bishop Pesoa.

“It will be useless to say brother, sister, when we see that there are first-class brothers and second-class brothers. “Whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all and not make use of all,” he warned, in relation to Sunday’s Gospel.

The Auxiliary Bishop of Santa Cruz, Mons. Estanislao Dowlaszewiczalso emphasized the situation in Bolivia as a result of the fires.

“Our sky, again, instead of being the purest in America, continues to be the most polluted in the world,” he observed, pointing out that the most affected areas are the regions of Chiquitanía and Asunción de Guarayos.

“Now the fire also occurs in the area of ​​the Santa Cruz valleys, it is so difficult for our authorities to obtain the appropriate means to put out the fires,” he questioned.

The Archbishop of Cochabamba also referred to these issues, Msgr. Oscar Apariciowho identified that Bolivia is going through a time “with many adversities, many conflicts, many fears” as a result of the fires, many of them caused, and “nature that is also responding or complaining” about the mistreatment it receives. .

The prelate also focused on “the concrete fact of lost hearts or hearts that want, not peace, but rather to exercise power in another way, not as the Lord is proposing today.”

In that sense, he called for “that our inner struggles, our inclinations to evil, rather find a strong spirit of the Lord of Jesus, and that we be able, after His model, to continue walking in this world.”