Bishop's Appeal Panamanian Pride
Episcopal News Service. March 31, 1988 [88063]
BALBOA, Panama (DPS, Mar. 31) -- Diocesan Bishop James Ottley appealed to national pride and compassion in a plea for stability heard in all the congregations of the diocese.
"The Church must always speak out against injustice, violence, or any other act that limits the freedom of our people," he said in a pastoral letter read throughout the country on Palm Sunday. "It must, therefore, always defend the dignity of every human being. It is for this reason that it becomes evident that, as citizens of this country, or residents here, we must discourage at this point any aggression, wherever it comes from. It is clear that what we are experiencing is totally in contradiction to the will of God. We have allowed our human nature to control the direction of our lives. As St. Paul states in Galatians 5:19: "'What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; which destroys all life and liberty.'"
"The problems that confront us are a result of a long struggle for a power that is self-serving without much evident concern for the welfare of Panama," he asserted, adding a plea for help.
"Because we love our country, we must put aside personal ambition and pride, seeking always to find ways and means to benefit the nation.
Food, clothing, and shelter, prime necessities, are imperiled. The loss of economic resources is having a tremendous effect on all the people of Panama."
Ottley said that any solution had to have two thrusts. "It must take into account the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the unemployed. It must also take into account that within our country there are sufficient resources to help in the struggle for a just and hopeful future, a future made possible by the commitments of our people and by the respect of other nations for our national sovereignty, a respect which allows us to work through our own problems."
Panama has 20 congregations and supports a number of schools and children's facilities throughout the country. The Roman Catholic bishops of Panama issued a Holy Week plea for General Manuel Noriega, the strongman whose alleged drug trafficking involvement caused the current crises, to resign. Ottley concentrates his energies on support for the people whose lives and livelihood are in jeopardy.
"In order that we may return to a state where we can forgive, be reconciled, love one another, and enjoy peace and justice, as a Church we call upon all the forces in conflict to put the interest of the nation above all other concerns making every effort to resolve their differences for the well-being of all".