Foto @SIPAZ
On Monday, January 25th, some three thousand members of Community of Faith (Pueblo Creyente) of the diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas held a pilgrimage to remember the struggle and path of jTatic Samuel Garcia, ex-bishop of Chiapas, who died five years ago. They reiterated their identity as Catholics and their defense of land, autonomy and social justice. In their pilgrimage they carried banners with texts rejecting structural reforms, the privatization of electricity, mining, dam building, the San Cristobal-Palenque motorway, and they recalled the disappearance of the 43 student teachers from Ayotzinapa.
Before mass, which was held outside the Cathedral of San Cristobal, some members of Community of Faith read out a letter sent to Pope Francis in which they asked him to join the project for life of the communities: “Above all we want to ask you that you continue to pray for us, for the State of Chiapas, that you do not abandon us as the indigenous people of Chiapas, that you do not tire of supporting the poor, that you continue to encourage and give hope to the community of faith, that you continue to denounce injustice, that you go forward, that you continue to drive and motivate us in the struggle for the poor, that you do not forget your indigenous brothers and sisters. We also ask that you engage in dialogue with the government so that it is aware and that it is capable of seeing the extreme poverty in which the people live and that it stops deceiving them.” Community of Faith and the priests of the diocese of San Cristobal preached and practiced the teachings that over 40 years Samuel Ruiz left, and for whom the point of evangelism was not just to announce the Gospel, “but to build a new community, a new community where we live in justice and peace.”
For more information:
Miles de indígenas integrantes del Pueblo Creyente, realizaron una peregrinación (Expreso Chiapas, 26 de enero de 2016)
Marchan en el V aniversario Luctuoso de jTatic Samuel (Prensa Libre Chiapas, 25 de enero de 2016)
VIDEO de la peregrinación (Koman Ilel, 25 de enero de 2016)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas: Pueblo Creyente de Simojovel sigue en defensa por la “vida, paz, justicia, libertad y democracia” (13 de noviembre de 2015)
Chiapas: Finaliza en Tuxtla Gutiérrez Peregrinación del Pueblo Creyente después de 4 días de recorrido (27 de marzo de 2015)
Chiapas: Peregrinación del Pueblo Creyente en el marco del cuarto aniversario luctuoso de Don Samuel Ruíz (26 de enero de 2015)
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