AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Bishops: "hunger is a current cry", need to alleviate the food and economic crisis that accompanies social isolation

Wednesday, 22 April 2020 coronavirus episcopal conferences hunger family economy

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Asunción (Agenzia Fides) - "The spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in our country and all over the world has important and serious repercussions in the life of each person, in social life and in our way of dealing with life's contingencies. Efforts to lower the spread curve of this disease have had the expected result, but we know that the pandemic containment plan will continue for several months. Attempts to mitigate the impact on the family and national economy call for a thoughtful, orderly and sustainable response. The prospects announced by economists foresee a horizon of austerity and economic recession, which already afflicts the population". This is the Exhortation that the Permanent Episcopal Council of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay has just published with the title 'Give them some food yourselves' (Mk 6,37), which begins with this analysis of the reality, addressing the country and its authorities.
"We feel the urgency of a close accompaniment of the most vulnerable families and groups, not only with food, but also with assistance for an effective short, medium and long-term economic recovery", the Bishops write in the message, sent to Agenzia Fides, underlining that in addition to ensuring the efficiency of the health system to face the pandemic, "at the same time we must take action to alleviate and treat the food and economic crisis that accompanies the development of social isolation measures".
The condition of vulnerability and fragility that a large sector of the population is already suffering from will worsen in the coming months, and we cannot yet measure its extent and severity. "Hunger is a current cry, which we cannot ignore", continue the Bishops, noting the solidarity of the citizens who in part replaced the initiatives of the national government. "The National Social Pastoral Care and the social pastoral care of each diocese are working tirelessly with the support of volunteers and civil associations, to bring help to our brothers. We are concerned, however, that social security may be endangered by the worsening of needs that do not receive attention".
The Bishops therefore call for "effective communication between national, departmental and district bodies to ensure timely management" and to the authorities "transparent administration and fair distribution of the economic resources allocated for social assistance", so that "families urgently receive enough and sustainably food until the restriction measures are in place".
Finally, the Exhortation of the Bishops reaffirms the full availability of the Church to continue collaborating through its pastoral structures, so that food aid reaches every family, encourages young people and communities to support the organization of popular canteens in parishes, neighborhoods and chapels, "to fulfill, within our limits, the command of the Lord, who said to his disciples: 'Give them some food yourselves' (Mk 6:37)". By urging the population to continue to comply with the guidelines of the health authorities and the government, the Bishops continue to pray intensely "for God to assist us and help us overcome the consequences of this pandemic in solidarity". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 22/4/2020)