Bolivian bishops hope Holy Week would bring spirit of reconciliation

Published: 2008-03-20

LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNS) -- Amid political tension and uncertainty, Bolivian bishops said they hoped Holy Week would bring a spirit of dialogue and reconciliation to the country. Bishop Gonzalo del Castillo Crespo, head of Bolivia's military diocese, was forthright, saying in his Palm Sunday homily, "We are living through difficult times in our country." He called for "understanding in both the East and the West" and an "encounter with brothers and sisters." He said that even "in the political sphere" there must be love for one's neighbor, "from the president to the last Bolivian." Bolivia has been gripped by a political crisis since mid-2007, when it became clear that Bolivian President Evo Morales' governing party, which is backed strongly by indigenous people and peasant farmers in the Western highlands, and the opposition party, which is rooted in the Eastern lowlands, were not going to agree on the text of a new constitution. The dispute underscored the deep racial, class and geographic divides that persist in the Andean nation.

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