.- The Bishops of Paraguay whose dioceses are on the border with the Brazil expressed their concern this week at a growing incursion of Brazilian settlers who are displacing Paraguayan farmers who live in the area. The bishops shared their concern during a meeting with the president of Paraguay, Nicanor Duarte Frutos.
Bishop Juan Bautista Gavilán of Coronel Oviedo called the massive incursion “an attack on the life” of the people in his diocese, as the settlers take advantage of the poverty of rural Paraguayans and acquire their lands, where they apply pesticides that are causing health problems for locals.
Likewise the president of the Bishops Conference of Paraguay, Bishop Claudio Giménez, said President Duarte listened to the bishops’ concern and agreed to finance efforts to ensure the Paraguayan farmers can maintain their own land.
