A Call to Defend
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Lutheran World Relief in Uncategorized
In the U.S., we are promised the right to freedom of speech, allowing us to speak out on issues that affect us and peacefully protest to bring about change.
For religious-leaders-turned-human-rights-activists in Colombia, the basic rights we enjoy are activities that can cost them their lives. In the increasingly violent tug-of-war between the Colombian military, guerillas, and paramilitary groups , the clergy are the thread that holds the social fabric of the people together. People who have been forced from their ancestral land. People caught in the crossfire of conflict. People who are afraid but look to their faith and pray for a better day to come.
The undertakings of these brave religious leaders and activists, of course, come with great personal risk. The Colombian government offers them little protection from paramilitary groups who seek to control the land and the people. Threats, intimidation, disappearances, false accusations and murder are all parts of their daily realities.
Not surprisingly, paramilitary groups who employ intimidation and violence to gain control have few scruples about where they carry out their violent work. Not even the walls of the church are safe. This year alone there are hundreds of reports of kidnappings, beatings, threats, and murders. In one particularly disturbing case, a pastor was murdered in his own church in front of his own congregation.
In this respect, God’s house is under attack. But we can help defend it.
Using our voices, we can urge our government to act to protect these brave church leaders and the work they do to bring peace to the people of Colombia. We can ask our elected officials to ensure that the money we send to Colombia is not used to support a military that has ties to paramilitary groups that terrorize its own people.
We can ask that funds instead be used to support development, protection programs, judicial reform and other activities that strengthen Colombia.
We can ask that our government use its leverage with Colombia to demand that the Colombian government investigate these cases of violence and that they make the protection of churches and their communities a priority.
Will you do it? Will you put out the call to protect people and houses of faith? Join LWR in urging our leaders to take action to protect the people of Colombia and the senseless deaths of its religious leaders.
Please join us in speaking out against this blatant violation of human dignity.
Lutheran World Relief is a nonprofit organization that works with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice, and human suffering.
