AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Proposal for dialogue on the part of the Bishops to the Head of State in the face of the worsening health, economic and social situation

Friday, 26 March 2021 coronavirus social situation economy local churches politics

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Asuncion (Agenzia Fides) - Paraguay had provided exemplary support for the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and even constituted a model for managing this health crisis for other countries in South America. However, after a year the situation has overturned. The government of Paraguay announced on March 24 measures through which it seeks
to give breath to the health system, which has collapsed due to the saturation of structures due to the arrival of Covid-19 patients.
According to the new Presidential Decree, as of March 27, only "minimal and essential travel" will be authorized for the transfer of patients or the purchase of food.
The situation is very critical. There are no more places in the intensive care units for Covid patients in both the public and private sectors. Pablo Lemir, senior forensic scientist at the Ministry of Public Health, told reporters Paraguay may need to use what are commonly referred to as "humanitarian cemeteries" which are just another name for mass graves, in the face of the huge amounts of deaths linked to Covid-19 in recent days. Added to this serious crisis was the news that vaccines for Paraguay have not yet arrived. The greatest fear, however, concerns the economic sector, which managed to resist the pandemic in 2020 but these latest measures will have serious consequences in the economic and labor sector.
Because of this serious situation, part of the population took to the streets of towns to demonstrate against the government (see Fides, 18/3/2021). A week later, only the local Church managed to put forward a serious and possible proposal to be implemented in order to resolve part of the crisis. "A dialogue to reorient the conduct of our country”: such is the proposal that the Bishops of Paraguay, led by the Bishop of Villarrica and President of the Episcopal Conference, His Exc. Bishop Adalberto Martínez Flores, presented to the President of the Republic, Mario Abdo Benítez, during the meeting which took place on March 24 at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay in Asunción.
In a note sent to Fides, the Bishop of Benjamín Aceval, also Secretary General and spokesperson for the CEP, His Exc. Bishop Amancio Francisco Benítez Candia, specified that the meeting had been requested by the Head of State and that the Bishops in no way gave their support to Abdo Benítez. The opposition had in fact requested the indictment of the President of the Republic - as part of an impeachment procedure - a request rejected by Parliament.
The Bishops reiterated the invitation to the President
to listen to the people and specified that the Episcopal Conference will not guide the possible dialogue "because we are not judges, but we could be present, accompanying everyone, the Government, the people, all citizenship", concluded the Secretary of the CEP.
To date, Paraguay has more than 203,000 cases of Covid-19 and some 4,000 deaths. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2021)