Costa Rican bishops welcome ruling for referendum on CAFTA

Published: 2007-04-23

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (CNS) -- Costa Rica's bishops have welcomed an electoral tribunal ruling that calls for a nationwide referendum on whether to ratify a controversial free-trade agreement with the United States. "We strongly call for all citizens to take advantage of this tool for expressing their will about a matter as crucial as the free-trade agreement," the bishops said in a statement issued in mid-April. They added that the church would help by "fostering opportunities for dialogue and information" about the Central American Free Trade Agreement. In mid-2006, the bishops had urged the Costa Rican Congress not to vote on CAFTA without first sounding out public opinion. "We did not say it should go to a referendum, but that's what we were aiming for," Bishop Angel San Casimiro Fernandez of Ciudad Quesada told Catholic News Service. While Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic have ratified CAFTA, opinion is divided in Costa Rica, the lone holdout.

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