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."
