Covid-19: Catholic leaders in
Latin America pledge to protect th
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| A honeless man receives food from residents of the Chapeu Mangueira slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Catholic political and civil society leaders across Latin
America release a ‘Manifesto’ in which they spell out the need to protect
society’s most fragile members, who have been hit hardest by the coronavirus
pandemic.
By Linda Bordoni
The commitment to face current difficulties and to act
according to a common Christian perspective is the premise at the roots of a
declaration and appeal issued by Catholic leaders of Latin America.
The just-released “Manifesto of Latin Americans with
Political Responsibilities” spells out the need to protect the most fragile and
vulnerable people in society, and to promote greater cooperation on an
international basis.
Signed by some 170 men and women with socio-political
responsibility and power, the list of names includes three former heads of
state, a former secretary of the Organization of American States, a former
director of the International Monetary Fund, as well as current and former MPs.
The initiative is promoted by the Academy of Catholic
Leaders, established in Chile and currently present in various Latin American
nations.
The Academy’s Board of Directors includes renown
theologians, the President of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of
Religious, and the Vice- President emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for
Latin America.
The Manifesto
The Manifesto states that it stems from “the pain for those
who suffer and will suffer most from this pandemic”: the poor, those who are alone
and abandoned, the most fragile and the most vulnerable, those who will be hit
hardest by the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.
“Just think of the dramatic impact it will have on a
multitude of Latin American brothers and sisters who survive only thanks to
undeclared work, on those who live on the streets, on the many abandoned
elderly people,” the statement reads.
It is the poor, it continues, who have to leave their homes
to earn their daily bread and who often are unable to observe the rules of
isolation and quarantine.
Reality demands that the choices we make mirror the choice
made by Jesus Christ, the signatories say: “Therefore all actions and
commitments to tackle the crisis must be made from the point of view of their
impact on the most vulnerable.”
Solidarity, the common good, spiritual accompaniment
In concrete terms, the Manifesto continues, solidarity must
be organized between different territorial areas and between different
countries because the pandemic does not affect the entire national territory
with equal force.
The document calls for the involvement of the media that
must work for the common good, avoiding sensationalism and contributing to a
climate that is “risk-conscious but serene and self-confident".
It highlights the fact that churches must be involved, as
psychological and spiritual accompaniment is fundamental, especially for “those
experiencing traumatic or stressful situations.”
The Catholic leaders go on to underscore how the economy is
called to demonstrate its ability to face the unprecedented challenge, saying
that “Neither ideologies nor traditional orthodoxies can take precedence over
reality.”
Unprecedented political and economic challenges
Noting that, “It takes creativity to resist and then
overcome the crisis,” the Manifesto calls on the political leaders of the
different nations of Latin America to seek coordinated and concerted action,
assuming the leadership and the responsibility to neglect no one.
“The churches must be bearers and, to their extent,
executors of these measures".
The Manifesto wraps up saying it is a fundamental time in
which to strengthen integration mechanisms (Pacific Alliance, Mercosur, Central
American Integration System) and cooperation between countries with the largest
populations of the continent (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile).
Therefore, it says, the cooperation of the World Bank, the
Inter-American Development Bank and the Latin American Development Bank is very
important; equally important is the postponement – and restructuring - of
foreign debt thanks to the solidarity of creditors.
“Surely we are in a very serious situation on our planet,”
the 170 signatories of the Manifesto conclude, “probably the greatest challenge
that we, as a generation, will live in our history."
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