Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dourados (Agenzia Fides) - "For the umpteenth time the diocese of Dourados has become the scene of clashes between indigenous people and farmers, revealing the indifference and inhumanity of the executive and the judiciary in the face of a situation of injustice which worries everyone": this is how the statement of the Bishop of Dourados, His Exc. Mgr. Redovino Rizzardo begins, regarding the recent conflicts in his diocese, in Mato Grosso do Sul of which a copy was sent to Fides.
The Bishop recalled that the diocese of Dourados is inhabited by 35,000 Indians confined in villages where they are not able to provide for their livelihood. Unfortunately, for a long time, says the Bishop, "the promises made by the central government to find a solution to the 'indigenous question' have remained on paper, the working groups organized to find a solution to the problem, did not work ... In a word, the state seems to have no intention of acting". The Bishops of Mato Grosso do Sul reaffirm however their position "against the use of force and violence by the strongest against the weakest".
Mgr. Rizzardo then launches an appeal to farmers and the Christian Indians to remain "united in solidarity, to join forces to put pressure on civil and judicial authorities, in order to achieve the much desired peace for all, based on justice". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 01/07/2015)
