AMERICA : MEXICO : BISHOP CAUTIONS AGAINST TAKING DRUG MONEY

Agenzia Fides REPORT – The government is absent and in its place bands of drug traffickers keep capillary control of the territory: in this situation Bishop Rafael Sandoval Sandoval, Bishop of Tarahumara diocese, in Chihuahua, said in a public statement : "Drug traffickers have taken over our Sierra, but we must take back our spaces. Our people live in fear and this must not be allowed to continue. They offer our young people easy money, quick money, much money, but they offer dirty money. We must teach values to our young people and help them understand that clean money is the fruit of honest work", he said a note sent to Fides.
The Bishop spoke openly, denouncing the grave situation in the territory, to the media and civil authorities, following numerous episodes of violence in the community of Guachochi, tormented by gangs of criminals: " Because of the violence the Sierra of Tarahumara is wounded and bleeding– he said – because so many young people are easily manipulated by big drug cartels which have their idols: money, power, firearms". Bishop Sandoval called the Catholic community and the entire civil society to launch together a campaign to educate young people, re-proposing the values of the Gospel in order to build a society which is, just, honest, peaceful and fraternal. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 22/02/2013)

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