Bolivian Church expresses solidarity with archbishop threatened with expulsion

The Bolivian Church expressed its “deep worry” over recent “agression and threats” against Cochabamban archbishop Tito Solari due to his declaration against youth involved small-scale cocaine trafficking in the Chapare neighbourhood. According to catholic.net, Bolivian Catholics are alarmed at the government’s threat of expulsion for Monseigneur Solari if he does not retract his statement. The bishop’s mission is rightly to warn youth especially of the dangers of drug-trade involvement. “It must not and cannot be silent…It has the moral authority earned by martyrs’ blood.” Its faith and commitment do not diminish “because of adversity…or out of convenience,” he cautioned.

A communiqué from Bolivia’s priests dated 25 November reiterated that the Bolivian Church “expresses solidarity with Monseigneur Solari…for raising his voice in warning…Treating a bishop mercilessly is tactless.” MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) party leader Emiliana Aiza called for the Catholic Church’s expulsion from Bolivia for being “inimical to the peasants.” Bishop Solari added that traffickers use “children [and] don’t spare any effort to achieve their objectives.” SOURCE