From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 14 Aug 92 10:15 PDT
Subject: IPS: Restore Damage Done by
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800256:000:2924
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 14 10:15:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS: Restore Damage Done by

/* Written 12:04 am  Aug 14, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: LATIN AMERICA: RESTORE DAMAGE DONE BY EURPEAN CONQUEST,
CLAI SAYS

la paz, aug 11 (ips) -- the latin american council of churches
(clai) has called on all members of the christian faith to face
the challenge of restoring the damage done to the original
inhabitants of the americas during the european conquest.

clai is an ecumenical organisation which tries to bring together
the different christian churches in the americas. its week-long
conference called '500 years: martyrdom and hope', which ends on
aug.  14, is being held in the bolivian city of cochabamba, some
380 kms from the capital city.

the conference was attended by priests and representatives of
different churches and indigenous leaders from ethnic and black
communities in bolivia, chile, guatemala, peru.

methodist bishop and clai president federico pagura from argentina
said latin america's present situation can be traced back to the
sufferings of the people understhe europeans.

at present, he said latin americans were still suffering, but this
time due to poverty caused by the decrease in trade with europe
and north america, the sudden plunge in prices of the region's
export products, excessive foreign debt and capital flight.

''we can measure the cruelty of this deteriorating process by the
increasing number of children who now live in the streets of our
cities, abandoned by a society which cannot take care of them,''
he said.

he added that due to the region's poverty, the health, housing,
nutritional and educational needs of most groups in the region
have remained unmet.

during this year's commemoration of the coming of the europeans,
pagura stressed the importance of accepting what really happened
500 years ago during the conquest and conversion of the indigenous
peoples to christianity.

he said the challenge of restoring the damage done to the ethnic
populations, black communities and other impoverished groups must
be faced, and the great cultural and religious heritage of the
indigenous americans recovered.

he stressed the need for an ''evangelical rebellion'' against a
system which, for several centuries, used christianity and western
values to cover up for scandalous acts against the dignity of the
region's inhabitants, pagura said.

he said the indigenous peoples' recovery of their lands, the
creation of new legal instruments to defend their rights,
including the right to self-determination and the immediate
attention given to the demands of the poor would only be acts of
justice.

pagura also called on all churches to fight for peace and justice
in latin america. (end/ips/trd/rg/oh/cir/92)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america