“We must reflect on the fact that we witness poverty and inequality in countries ruled by opposing political parties: in Venezuela and Colombia, just as in Chile and Nicaragua. We must add to this the subversion of the social order at a time when not only institutions lose credibility, but also political parties, financial elites, the armed forces, and even Trade Unions themselves, since they only defend regular workers, but not the many people who live on the fringes of society or have precarious jobs. This is why Pope Francis clearly stressed the importance of the emergence of popular movements”. This is according to Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour, former secretary and vice-president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCLA), who anticipated the contents of his article entitled “What is really happening in Latin America?”, to be published in Spanish on the PCLA website, in an interview with SIR news agency
As regards political parties, Carriquiry said, “I see that the Conservatives and the Liberals do not cease to repeat their neo-liberal formulas. They have not learned any lessons from the profound economic, financial and social crises that have occurred. In this regard, it is clear, for instance, that Chile cannot solve its problems with superficial reforms or a new Constitution, but only with a complete overhaul of its economic and social policies”. At the same time, “in some countries, the idolatry of power and its centralised and vertical exercise has separated left-wing parties from civil society. With the former not even taking an honest look at the reasons behind their failure. The very attractive mission of ‘twenty-first century socialism’ itself was conceived as an ideological cover for authoritarian and freedom-killing regimes, like those in Venezuela and Nicaragua”.
In the future, “we should not lose sight of the perspective and utopia of the ‘Great Homeland’. Integration in Latin America is both a need and a crucial and urgent priority, inscribed in our vocation and destiny. Our capacity for dialogue and meeting will be decisive for the future. There can only be sound development with broad political and social agreements that can avoid exacerbating polarisation. But we also need new historic projects, I would say, new ‘third ways’. And this is why a new presence of Catholics in politics is of paramount importance, as requested by Pope Francis”.