Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Ouagadougou (Agenzia Fides) – “Since early 2008, the people of Burkina Faso have been suffering hardships due to the generalized rise in the cost of basic food products. The high cost of living has caused protests, demonstrations, and strikes in our country and many times these events have in turn led to the destruction of public and private property. Although they understand the suffering and confusion of a starving people, the Bishops disapprove of all acts of violence and destruction of public and private property, as these acts hinder efforts made on an individual and collective basis towards the common good, which is so desired by all,” the Bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger said in a statement made at the end of their Plenary Assembly for the pastoral year 2007-2008, held June 2-6. In the final statement, a copy of which was sent to Agenzia Fides, the members of the Bishops’ Conference of Burkina-Niger affirm that while the rise in prices “is affecting all the nations of the world,” it is especially affecting “developing countries, due to an imbalance in international trade laws, the rise in fuel costs, speculation on the international cereal market, and the neglect of the environment, and agricultural policies on both a national and international level.”
Recalling the Message of Pope Benedict XVI during the FAO Summit in Rome on June 3, 2008, the Bishops of the two African nations pointed out that “hunger and malnutrition are not a result of mere fate.” The Bishops continue, saying: “Therefore, we are glad to see the measures being taken by the government in attending to the sufferings of the people, the efforts of dialogue and harmony already apparent among public and private figures in an effort to find a permanent solution to this crisis. We appreciate the efforts being made by Catholic Organizations for Development and Solidarity (OCADES Caritas Burkina) that reach out to the poorest among us.”
The Bishops’ Conference of Burkina-Niger also expressed their “disapproval and denunciation” of any form of speculation and “any other actions - whether they be on an individual or collective basis - of businesses, economic agents, and any other public or private administration that lead to gaining profits from this crisis, using the misery of the poor for illegal profits.”
“We ask that all sons and daughters of the Church Family of God may increase their work efforts, so that solidarity and mutual support may reign amidst these particularly difficult circumstances, and that they might revise their own food selection so as to favor domestic products. We are all called to take on responsible attitudes in responding to the many lures of a consumerist society,” the Bishops conclude. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 26/6/2008)
