.- The Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cardinal Julio Terrazas Sandoval, has condemned the lynchings that have taken place in recent days and noted that they can never be consistent with Christian beliefs.
“Christians have only one way of looking at things, that of God. A Christian is one who knows that our God is not arrogant, he doesn’t threaten, incarcerate, persecute, punch or beat up others, but rather he is a God of mercy who in purity looks upon all with love,” the cardinal said.
He lamented the breakdown in security and the widespread increase in crime, noting that it “doesn’t seem possible that in one week two or three lynchings take place,” the news of which reaches the ears of “our children at home.”
Lynching is an evil that must be eradicated, he continued, and life must be respected, “even that of sinners, because they are the ones who need salvation.”
According to the vice minister of Justice, Valentin Ticona, and the national director of the Special Forces of the Struggle Against Crime, Coroner Adolfo Espinoza, lynchings are on the increase because people no longer believe in justice.
Authorities estimate that so far this year, there have been 29 attempted lynchings and 11 deaths by lynching in the country.
