PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala at press conference following break-in at their office
On April 30, PBI-Guatemala posted:
“Today #PBI accompanies the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala at a press conference in response to the violent raid and kidnapping of information suffered by its headquarters in the early hours of Sunday, April 27.
“In Guatemala we will never again succumb to fear, we will never again remain silent, in #Guatemala Never Again” said Pastor Héctor Castañeda, on this event that occurred in the commemorative framework of the 27th anniversary of the assassination of Bishop [Juan José] Gerardi.
“We are in solidarity with the capture of [Indigenous leaders] Luis Pacheco and Hector Chaclán and we believe that everything is part of a national process that seeks to aorillar [get around] organizations like ours that defend the common home, life and territory”, adds the coordinator of the Pastoral, Luis Lopez.”
Prensa Comunitaria now reports: “The headquarters of the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala (CECG) was assaulted on the night of Saturday, April 26 and the early morning of Sunday, April 27, according to its directors.”
“’It is important to highlight that the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala accompanies communities that defend territorial autonomy, the correct use of their natural resources and the protection of their common home,’ said Reverend Jenner Miranda Calderón, a member of the Board of Directors.”
“The entity has been critical of the human rights situation in the country, this situation has caused the annoyance of sectors that provoke actions that violate the rights of the population, for which they have been targets of attacks from social networks, but never an act similar to the one they denounced today.”
That article further notes: “’The Ecumenical Council has always been subject to criminalization, there have always been some mishaps such as ways of intimidating or threatening, but not such a specific irruption, we have to clarify that here we share this space with different organizations, the attack was specifically on the headquarters of the Council,’ said Héctor Castañeda, a member of the collegiate general secretariat.”
The full Prensa Comunitaria article can be read at El Concejo Ecuménico Cristiano denuncia robo en su sede.
Several video clips from the media conference as well as photos of the office after the break-in can be found on the Prensa Comunitaria X account here.
More about the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala
As noted on their Facebook page: “The Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala is a common home for Christian people of different traditions and for people of different religious communities. It seeks to dialogue with all persons, communities and civil organizations.”
Global Ministries further explains: “The Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala is a place for Christian encounter, reflection, and action for those committed to working for peace, reconciliation, and ecumenism in Guatemala. The Ecumenical Council takes on the challenge of maintaining the kairos of the Guatemalan Peace Agreements, upholding a prophetic voice of denunciation and declaration of facts and situations of injustice, and other realities that hinder the fulfillment of the Realm of God on earth.”
Global Ministries also notes that one of the six areas of work for the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala is: “Stewardship of Creation—From an ecumenical and intercultural perspective, give support to communities for the defense of territory and creation, ecological protection, risk management, and humanitarian aid in alliance with other spaces.”
The United Church of Canada
The Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala is a partner of the United Church of Canada.
The United Church of Canada notes: “In the Caribbean and Latin America, the United Church works with Mission and Service partners to secure community access to food and sustainable practices, to provide education for young children and adults, and to build and sustain safe water supplies. Partners also work to promote respect for human rights, including women’s and Indigenous peoples’ rights, as well as the right to a healthy environment in the context of resource extraction projects, such as mining. The United Church also supports Mission and Service partner work responding to humanitarian crises and, with others, advocates for strong development and aid policies that support people and communities in crisis.”
We continue to follow this.
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