Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lima (Agenzia Fides) – The President of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference and the Bishops of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Amazon have demonstrated their opposition to emergency ordinances promulgated recently by the Peruvian Government. In a document entitled “Taking care of everyone's house”, a copy of which was sent to Fides, the Bishops write that with these decrees the environmental impact assessment of investment projects as a prerequisite for obtaining administrative authorisation is no longer considered.
In this document, the Bishops point out that the emergency decrees No. 001-2011 and No. 002-2011 “dictate special agreements to facilitate the implementation of 33 investment projects.” Faced with this situation, they emphasise “the need for environmental impact studies, as a prerequisite for all mining and energy projects, to understand the serious consequences that poor environmental management can have for our people and our diverse ecosystems.”
In this sense, they recall that last December there were over 200 social conflicts, a third of them are related to water management and water resources. “It is concerning that these ordinances can negate the request for environmental impact studies as an administrative requirement. Water, air and earth are essential elements of the free nature that God generously gave us. Social conflicts may be prevented and avoided if we act in time,” concluded the Bishops' document, signed by Archbishop Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, OFM., Archbishop of Trujillo and President of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference and by 7 Bishops from the Apostolic Vicariate of the Peruvian forest zone. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/02/2011)
