AMERICA/NICARAGUA – First day of National Dialogue: “the Church is bridge, hospital, mother”
CEN
Managua (Agenzia Fides) – The “National Dialogue”, started in Nicaragua to try to resolve the socio-political crisis of the country began yesterday in Managua, with the participation of President Daniel Ortega, entrepreneurs, civil society, university students and the Bishops of Nicaragua. The Dialogue is taking place in Our Lady of Fatima Interdiocesan Seminary, in the west of Managua, protected by a strong security device, which covers up to 1,000 meters around the Seminary, the seat chosen by the Episcopal Conference (CEN).
After the presentation on behalf of the Bishops, called into question as “mediators and witnesses” in the Dialogue, Ortega formally took the floor. Then it was the turn of civil society to present their ideas, followed by the students. Vice-President Murillo, Ortega’s wife, declared that there is full agreement that the “methodology and organization of this dialogue are established by the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference”.
In the Message presented by Cardinal Brenes, Archbishop of Managua and President of CEN, sent to Agenzia Fides, it is stated: “We have accepted this difficult and complex challenge and we have committed ourselves as mediators and witnesses, the only possible way to to reconcile the highest aspirations of everyone. We are here to find together the possible ways out and solutions to the demands and expectations, complex and different, but essentially identical in their essence and supreme aspiration. Through dialogue and listening, we can help build a better world, making it a place of reception and respect, thus countering divisions and conflicts”.
The Cardinal recalled the Church’s mission in three points: “The Church is a bridge that, in this case, connects the distant points; the Church is a field hospital. We have many lives to save and wounds to heal, let us never forget it: what is at stake here are the people; the Church is a mother. In a family when brothers and sisters fight, the mother is in the middle”. To conclude, the Cardinal asked the President to “carry out those positive steps of good will for the success of this National Dialogue, and the points that my brother Bishops presented to him in a letter sent in recent days” (see Fides 15/05/2018).
President Ortega said: “We have invited the International Commission on Human Rights to accompany this effort. We ask (university students) a list of how many deaths and disappearances there are in Nicaragua, and not to lie. We want the list to be delivered to the Bishops too, and we will show them that there is not one missing person, there is not a single prisoner, they have all been released”.
While the student representative asked to stop the repression immediately, the President of the Higher Council of Private Enterprises (COSEP), said that “the first thing is to ensure the safety of students, because this is a priority”. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 17/05/2018)
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Source link : https://fides.org/en/news/64198-AMERICA_NICARAGUA_First_day_of_National_Dialogue_the_Church_is_bridge_hospital_mother
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Publish date : 2018-05-17 03:00:00
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