""There has to be a cut-off point for the reconciliation of the country," Mora told Ideele told radio in Lima, adding that judicial proceedings against members of the military and police for human rights crimes could not go on forever. "Cut-off point? This smells of Rafael Rey," said Daniel Abugattas, a surprised leading member of Peru's governing party upon hearing Mora's remark. Rey, a rightwing former defence minister and numerary member of the Roman Catholic sect Opus Dei, is considered by many to be the main apologist for atrocities committed by military and police forces in Peru's bloody internal war in the 1980s and 90s. In 2003, Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimated that 69,280 people were killed in those two decades, a figure Rey hotly disputes. Rey represents almost everything that Abugattas and the new leftwing administration of Ollanta Humala abhor."
Peru is still struggling with its bloody past
A row over amnesty for those accused of atrocities during the Shining Path insurgency will not help national reconciliation
September 9, 2011
Dan Collyns guardian.co.uk,
Friday 9 September 2011 17.07 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/09/peru-amnesty-shining-path-insurgency
Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori. Photograph: Karel Navarro/AP
Daniel Mora, Peru's new defence minister, has been plunged quickly into hot water over a stray comment that seemed to suggest he favours a blanket amnesty for former or current members of security forces accused of human rights crimes during the country's bloody Shining Path insurgency.
"There has to be a cut-off point for the reconciliation of the country," Mora told Ideele radio in Lima, adding that judicial proceedings against members of the military and police for human rights crimes could not go on forever. "Cut-off point? This smells of Rafael Rey," said Daniel Abugattas, a surprised leading member of Peru's governing party upon hearing Mora's remark. Rey, a rightwing former defence minister and numerary member of the Roman Catholic sect Opus Dei, is considered by many to be the main apologist for atrocities committed by military and police forces in Peru's bloody internal war in the 1980s and 90s. In 2003, Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimated that 69,280 people were killed in those two decades, a figure Rey hotly disputes. Rey represents almost everything that Abugattas and the new leftwing administration of Ollanta Humala abhor.
Mora's comments have attracted a flood of opprobrium from human rights groups. The Washington Office on Latin America (Wola) said his remarks were tantamount to calling for a state policy of impunity. Ronald Gamarra, one of the prosecutors in the internationally lauded trial of the former Peruvian president, Alberto Fujimori, called for the minister's resignation and a Facebook page, which mimics Mora's misguided remarks, calling itself "Put an end to minister Daniel Mora and let's stop impunity" has close to 2,500 followers.
It is certainly not the first time a politician – in Peru or elsewhere – has put his foot in his mouth, and then said the remarks were misinterpreted. But Mora has just pushed himself further into the fray: by saying the atrocities and abuses committed by the armed forces were isolated excesses, he has entered into one side of the debate.
On the other side are those who say the massacres were part of a deliberate counter-insurgency strategy backed from the very top. Former president Fujimori was convicted of masterminding such a strategy. In April 2009 , he was jailed for 25 years for authorising 25 death squad killings. The trial was praised by Amnesty International as a "milestone in the fight for justice". The death squad in question, the "Colina Group" and other high-ranking officials in the Fujimori government (1990-2000) were also recently found guilty of the murders of 15 people and the forced disappearances of 10 others.
But for the most part, the wheels of justice move slowly in Peru. In September last year, the former leader Alan Garcia succumbed to pressure to pass a thinly veiled amnesty law to benefit indicted army officers. He quickly retracted it as Peru's only Nobel laureate author Mario Vargas Llosa attacked the measure in a sharply worded open letter. Meanwhile, the relatives of an estimated 15,000 disappeared are still waiting for restitution of their remains and the dimmer prospect of justice.
Twenty-five years on, Telmo Hurtado, an ex-army officer who led one of the most infamous massacres of 69 men, women and children in the highland village of Accomarca, is finally in custody in Peru after being extradited from the US. But hundreds more former military and police officers have yet to be put on trial.
International Day of the Disappeared was on 30 August. In Ayacucho – the Andean region at the heart of the political violence between the Maoist Shining Path rebels and state forces – widows and bereaved mothers commemorated the day by displaying an enormous scarf made up of individual knitted or embroidered epitaphs to missing loved ones the "scarf of hope" is close to a kilometre in length.
Despite pressure from human rights groups, Peru continues to be one of the only Latin American countries not to have signed the 2006 international convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearances. Peru's creaky justice system threatens to collapse under the weight of prospective human rights prosecutions. A symbolic gesture is perhaps needed but Peruvian society is still deeply divided about its recent history. Swifter justice and a gesture of contrition by the state would go much further towards a national reconciliation than misguided talk of an amnesty.
Comments
interiordesofufoS
10 September 2011 3:31PM
All i can comment is That the Opus Dei in Peru is formed by extremely wealthy people who has Power due to the fact that they help each other doing Business
on Large Scale in The Country and Abroad.Nothing wrong with that.BUT Many were.are pro Fujimori's and do not give a Monkeys about those Massacres.
Mr.Abugattas is world wide famous for the use of his Language.When he Speaks.Lima trembles.
NunOfTheAbove
9 September 2011 7:15PM
Justice would be even better served for Latin America if all the 'School of the America's' employees, USA spooks and CIA operatives that for so long funded and trained these death squads, were also extradited from the USA. Now they are so fond of 'The War on Terror' the USA will no doubt be wishing to draw a line under this shameful period and comply......(I'm not holding my breath)
Daniel Mora: "Debemos llegar a un punto final"
========
Article above mentioned in one of the comments made under this article
http://ncronline.org/blogs/young-voices/real-scandal-opus-dei-and-church
The real scandal for Opus Dei and the church
by Nicole Sotelo on Sep. 27, 2011 Young Voices
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PDF versionIs there a murderous Albino monk in Opus Dei? Hardly.
Are its basic members power-hungry radicals who seek control of the church? Not that I have met.
The scandal surrounding Opus Dei brought about by Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code was an inaccurate, tall-tale representation of the prelature, or institute, whose members, like many Catholics, are drawn to dedicate their lives wholly to God. The real tragedy within Opus Dei, however, mirrors the scandal that pervades much of Catholicism today: its abusive treatment of young people.
Last week in France, a young woman came forward with a lawsuit against members of Opus Dei, alleging abuse of labor laws and practices that were psychologically and physically harmful while she served as a Numerary Assistant within Opus Dei.
She claims that she was forced to work from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week and, like many within Opus Dei, her salary was returned to the community. Beginning at the age of 14, she was encouraged to distance herself from her family for 15 years and during that time grew progressively ill.
In 2001, her parents intervened and helped her to recover after a doctor said she should not return to Opus Dei for the sake of her health.
The scandal is not just that one young woman experienced unjust labor practices disguised as a religious vocation, as tragic as that is, but that her story is not unique.
There were approximately 4,000 Numerary Assistants worldwide as of 2005, according to Opus Dei: An objective look behind the myths and reality of the most controversial force in the Catholic Church by NCR’s John L. Allen, Jr.
Opus Dei’s 1950 Constitutions term these members as “servants” and only later was the label replaced by the less controversial term “assistants,” or “auxiliaries,” when Opus Dei was named a personal prelature by the Vatican in 1982.
What’s more, these Numerary Assistants comprise the least educated class within the hierarchy of the institute and hold little to no decision-making power within the ranks. Instead, they are to work in a spirit of “full submission,” according to the Constitutions.
Perhaps not surprising to those who recognize the structural sin of sexism within Catholicism, equally reflected in the hierarchy of Opus Dei, Numerary Assistants -- those with the least power -- are only allowed to be women, most of whom were recruited when they were young.
These women begin their experience of Opus Dei starting when they are of high school or college-age by entering one of the prelature’s “hospitality” training centers. It is in these centers that they are educated in the finer points of laundering, cleaning and cooking and go on to serve in Opus Dei residences or retreat centers.
This would be dignified work if done in freedom and supported with a living wage, but as the lawsuit contends, this is not the case.
These training centers, often drawing women from economically and socially disadvantaged families, are located in numerous countries across the globe, ranging from Brazil to Ireland. The United States’ training center is based in Chicago. While a few schools admit men, they are predominantly women-only or their student body is primarily female.
As this court case came to the attention of news media last week, the pope was visiting his native Germany. During a meeting with the Central Committee, a council of lay Catholics, Benedict claimed the greatest crisis in the Western Church today is a crisis of faith.
I believe, however, the real crisis for the church, including Opus Dei, is not that Catholics have abandoned the faith.
The real crisis is a lack of credibility in any structure of church leadership that is responsible for the cover-up and abuse of young people. As there should be, there is a lack of trust in a religious system that values secrecy over the well-being of its members, that values preservation of institutional power over the inherent dignity of its youngest adherents.
This is the greater scandal. This is the greater sin.
Comments
This sounds like a form of
Submitted by Austin (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
This sounds like a form of slavery. Why would any sensible person join such a deceitful organization?
The focus here is on Opus
Submitted by Joseph Jaglowicz (not verified) on Sep. 29, 2011.
The focus here is on Opus Dei, not on other organizations, the perception of which may differ between you and other bloggers.
If an organization is doing wrong, then, yes, people of good will should speak out and hold it accountable to recognized standards --- of church, human decency, society, etc.
That said, the focus here is on Opus Dei.
The Opus Deists I've met
Submitted by John M (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
The Opus Deists I've met certainly believe in an ultra-conservative, almost feudal, almost fascist "order" to society, that is, a ruling hierarchy whose "gifted by God" elite have every right to be served by their inferiors. Humility is for the lower orders. Ugh!
OPUS DEI FINITO,
Submitted by Jerry Slevin (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
OPUS DEI FINITO, AMEN!....Thank you, Nicole, for your brave and insightful article. The International Criminal Court case will inevitably include a review of the secret financial support given to prop up the Roman clique's child abuse cover-up. This will lead quickly to the end of the Roman absolute monarchy and to the beginning of the return of the Church to its consensual Gospel roots. Ever since Constantine gave the bishops coercive power, it has inexorably led to papal abuses. The Vatican formally lost this power in 1870, but has been fighting like hell since then to retain as much coercive power (and the related unaccountable wealth and privleges for the Roman clique) as it could. This rear guard effort has failed. Little has succeeded. Not mystical smokescreens like fabricated "infallibility". Not brutal repression of countless alternative prophetic voices. Not slanted missals, Hollywood style beatifications or staged youth rallies. Not weird theology, arcane liturgy, gold vestments or even red slippers. The Vatican's countless lawyers and bought publicists can no longer hide the truth. The Spirit is working. Please see also my comment entitled, "POPE IN HANDCUFFS?" accessible at http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/blessing-vatican-really-d...
Nicole is so right! Secrecy,
Submitted by John of Ventura (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
Nicole is so right! Secrecy, control, ignorance are the hallmarks of a repressive organization or government or church. It is not only Opus Dei, but the Vatican structure as well that seeks to keep all things of importance under the wrap of secrecy. They claim a superior knowledge so that they can control and direct the activity of all their members. They delight in keeping people ignorant of what they do and how they do it, all the better to exercise control over them.
Many of the decisions of JP II and the current pope were/are efforts at control and secrecy. Under their regimes, secrecy and control have reigned. Look at the many theologians whose work had been misinterpreted, misconstrued and condemned out of hand. The Church is supposed to be a place of love, compassion and care. But the actions of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) have continued to operate in secret. A theologian is called in and his/her work misrepresented. In one case with which I am familiar, the author's work was poorly translated from English into Italian, a critique prepared and then translated back into English so that alleged quotes from the work no longer resembled the original. Yet the author was not allowed a real defense. The decision was made before anyone ever spoke with him.
The accuser(s) were anonymous, the reviewers were anonymous, the accused was not allowed to have anyone else present when being "interviewed" by the CDF.
Yes, the very structure of Opus Dei built on secrecy, control, and ignorance on the part of its members. The very structure of the Vatican is built on secrecy and control, with members kept ignorant of what is happening.
"Opus Dei was named a
Submitted by charles j scanlon (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
"Opus Dei was named a personal prelature by the Vatican in 1982."
Another grievous and irreparable error by the simoniac wojtyla who always did the will of the wealthy, including marcial, ignoring utterly and maliciously the just aspirations of the poor pilgrim People of God for peace and for justice.
If I may add: Although
Submitted by Joseph Jaglowicz (not verified) on Sep. 29, 2011.
If I may add:
Although ecclesiastical organization could conceivably (and legitimately) change to meet ecclesial need, we know that --- for now at least --- the Church of Rome abides by the traditional organization, to wit, a local church under a local leader known as the bishop. The Vatican prides itself as being at the center of a "communion of churches" (although papal selection of, and control over, local bishops ultimately gives the lie to this claim of "communion").
There is nothing traditional about the novelty of "personal prelature" introduced into the Church of Rome by JPII. The bishop of Rome effectively removed certain Catholics from the ecclesiastical governance exercised by the local bishop.
Under JPII and now B16, the Church of Rome is "traditional" only when such organization is pleasing to the pope. Otherwise, these popes have felt free to meddle in the affairs rightfully exercised by local bishops.
Hopefully, increasing numbers of Catholics are "waking up" to this papal crap foisted upon their local leaders and insisting that their bishops use their cojones to tell Rome to "back off"!!!
Long past time.
This is indeed abuse of the
Submitted by LittleBear (not verified) on Sep. 27, 2011.
This is indeed abuse of the young, and an abuse of young women. Unless, through no small miracle, the official Church launched a complete investigation of the "Numerary Assistants", every nation and every organization dedicated to the protection of children and youth---should launch a vigorous and lengthly investigation of Opus Dei's connections with youth---with young girls and women.
Opus Dei is so secretive {and it was encouraged to be so by John Paul II}, that it can be classified as a "Cult" within the Church. These girls and young women could be classified as 'slaves or serfs' OWNED by Opus Dei. Our Church rants and raves about children and women being victims of trafficing (and they should). But the Church is hardly better than those that THEY condemn.
And yes, the credibility of the official Church is a, if not THE, major, factor in people's decision to walk away from it.
Why is this such a shock?
Submitted by Andy Jo (not verified) on Sep. 29, 2011.
Why is this such a shock?
Opus Dei has always recruited amongst the ranks of the wealthy and the educated for their highest positions. They recruit the lower ranks of society as worker bees.
I have known people who were members of Opus Dei. Each met the description of one of the groups mentioned above. Thankfully, they left that organization, but were not left unscathed.
They ARE a cult. It astounds me that in the United States (where people have become very familiar with cultic groups in the last 40 years) they are viewed as a benign presence.
--Andy Jo--
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