.- Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador, El Salvador, told young people this week that stronger moral and civic values would help them to avoid getting involved in gangs. After Sunday Mass, the archbishop attended a press conference in which he noted that the level of violence in the country is due “to a total lack moral values, there is no respect for life, there is no true formation of the human conscience.”
Archbishop Saenz said it was important to “try to overcome evil with an abundance of good, beginning with the Ministry of Education, which ought to provide authentic training in moral and civic values.”
While he acknowledged the need for punitive measures to combat gangs, the archbishop said young people should be guaranteed access to education and rehabilitation programs.
According to official reports, there are over 10,000 gang members in El Salvador.
