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The Spectacle Blog
An article published by the Catholic news agency Zenit quotes Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, as saying that the Catholic Church is “not taking sides” in the current conflict in Honduras. But this is hardly the impression one gets from a lengthy interview with Cardinal Rodriguez published today in the German daily Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). In the FAZ interview, Cardinal Rodríguez accuses Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of fomenting unrest in Honduras in the interest of bringing about a “Bolivarian” revolution in the country and he rejects outright the return to power of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
“You must know,” Cardinal Rodríguez tells the FAZ,
that we are struggling against a very powerful, because very well-financed, campaign, which is being directed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — to the extent that agents of the Venezuelan secret services are active in the country and are organizing the supposed popular protests against the removal of President Manuel Zelaya. Weapons have also been brought into the country. Thank God that up to now more blood has not been shed. But not a day goes by without my receiving a death threat.
Asked why he was being threatened, the Cardinal continued:
Because the Catholic Church enjoys great moral authority in the country, but is determined to resist foreign powers again taking control of this country: this time, in order to “bolivarize” it. The agents are already working against the Church, using the same methods that we have come to know from Venezuela. Last Sunday, Mass could not be held in any of the three churches in downtown Tegucigalpa, because gangs had ransacked the churches and threatened the faithful.
Rodríguez said that it was “absurd” to qualify Zelaya’s removal as a military coup, noting that “there is not a single military official that in any way belongs to the [current “de facto”] government.” Accusing Zelaya not only of violating the Honduran constitution, but also of misappropriating international development aid, he insisted that the aim of negotiations “cannot be to bring about Zelaya’s return to Honduras and his restoration to the President’s office. The man has shown that he is dishonest and incapable of governing within the limits of the constitution.”
“During the crisis, the parliament and the justice system have shown that they are functioning well,” Cardinal Rodríguez told the FAZ, “Now everything depends on strengthening these institutions and not following the path taken by Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador in systematically discrediting democratic institutions.”
Asked by FAZ reporter Daniel Deckers why the American government has publicly supported Zelaya — “in perfect harmony with Chavez and his followers” — Cardinal Rodríguez replied: “A lot of Hondurans would like to know that. But nobody can explain it to us.”
View all comments (24) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by John Rosenthal
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AntonioSosa| 7.16.09 @ 5:34PM
Thank you, Cardinal Maradiaga, for defending Hondurans from Zelaya and Chavez, who seek to enslave Hondurans! Indirectly, you are also helping the millions of Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, etc. who wish we could have done what Hondurans are doing before Marxist thugs like Zelaya enslaved our countries like Zelaya is trying to enslave Honduras.
AntonioSosa| 7.16.09 @ 5:44PM
Why has the American government publicly supported Zelaya? Because Obama is a Marxist who is destroying the U.S. , just like Zelaya was destroying Honduras.
As his parents, relatives, friends and mentors, Obama is a Marxist who hates the U.S. As such, he sides with terrorists and Marxist dictators and would-be dictators who seek to enslave their countries and destroy the U.S.
Obama won the U.S. presidencial elections with a campaign based on lies, manipulation, intimidation and fraud, very similar to the campaigns of Chavez, Morales, Correa. Even their slogans -- CHANGE and YES WE CAN (CAMBIO y SI SE PUEDE) -- were the same.
Obama's actions since he became President are very similar to those of Chavez and the rest of the Marxist thugs. Like them, Obama is taking over private companies, and is destroying businesses and the economy. Like them, Obama demonizes the opposition and is controlling much of the media.
We must pray for the U.S. for the U.S. is in grave danger, and we all need a prosperous, democratic and free U.S.
AntonioSosa| 7.16.09 @ 5:46PM
Fortunately for the cause of truth, REAL democracy and freedom, not all U.S. leaders are Marxists like Obama or lemmings brainwashed by the propaganda from Castro/Chavez.
Seventeen U.S. Senators sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Clinton urging the Obama administration to reverse its rhetoric and support the removal of Zelaya.
They disagreed with the administration’s use of the term “coup” for the events in Honduras, and said that Zelaya was removed properly. They say Zelaya was corrupt and that the U.S. should NOT seek to return him to power.
Here's the U.S. Senators’ letter and a summary of the charges against Zelaya:
http://www.hacer.org/pdf/LetterClinton.pdf
AntonioSosa| 7.16.09 @ 5:52PM
The attacks on the church are the norm in all the countries about to be enslaved by the Marxist thugs. They demonize the Church and any priest trying to defend the people from the Marxists.
We pray Catholics in Honduras do not allow the gangs paid by the Marxist thugs to intimidate them.
Patriot| 7.16.09 @ 10:08PM
Marxists use the gay marriage issue as a stalking horse to demonize conservative churches and their clergy. Once churches are marginalized, freedom of religious speech will cease. Marxist thuggery is alive and well in the USA, too.
God bless and protect the heroic Cardinal Maradiaga and the Honduran people.
sergio castillo| 7.17.09 @ 12:22AM
Since when is usurping a nations constitution democratic? this was and always will be about money and nothing more and everyone of you should be ashamed for condoning the violation of the honduran constitution no matter how ridiculous Zelaya is. He was democratically elected and NOT democratically removed.
Smitty| 7.17.09 @ 12:54AM
Sergio, all bets are off when scummy commies like pig boy Chavez get involved. Shame on you for omitting that fact.
MattSwartz| 7.17.09 @ 3:27AM
Sergio,
He may not have been democratically removed, but he was constitutionally removed. He was trying to use democracy to destroy the republic. Most dictators come to power democratically, but if they try to use the fact that more than half the people agree with them to break all the rules, then they've stopped ruling constitutionally.
That's why a country needs both.
Deborah D | 7.17.09 @ 7:29AM
Thank you, AntonioSosa, for all of the information and insights. You are right about our president and the Democrat Party. Americans who understand the Honduran story support you and the Honduran people.
God bless you and Cardinal Rodriguez in your efforts.
And, MattSwartz -- right on!
Pingback| 7.17.09 @ 6:47PM
Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » Chavez: Zelaya to return to Honduras “in hours” UPDATE links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
moremony services | 7.19.09 @ 2:05AM
Sergio,
He may not have been democratically removed, but he was constitutionally removed. He was trying to use democracy to destroy the republic. Most dictators come to power democratically, but if they try to use the fact that more than half the people agree with them to break all the rules, then they've stopped ruling constitutionally.
moremony | 7.19.09 @ 2:07AM
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Pingback| 7.19.09 @ 3:47PM
Honduras Crisis Talks Resume In Costa Rica « Nice Deb links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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Ten Gallon Zelaya Recap « Ferdsblog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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