Lima, Peru, Sep 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Bishops Conference of Peru published an official statement yesterday reaffirming unity among the country’s bishops and announcing it has hired a group of lawyers to join in calling on authorities to bring about “true justice” in the case of forged letters that ex-Justice Minister, Fernando Olivera, gave to the Vatican in an attempt to besmirch Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani.
In reaction to charges by a State prosecutor leveled against Bishop Daniel Carrión of Puno and Bishop Emeritus Luis Bambaren of Chimbote, the Bishops Conference held a special meeting yesterday morning in Lima.
The Conference’s Press Office issued a statement in which the bishops “express a spirit of communion and unity in these difficult times for some members of the Episcopate, trusting in their innocence.”
Likewise, the statement said that “given that the charges have gone from the Prosecutor’s office to the courts, the bishops hope that the truth will shine forth. In the meantime, they have decided to ask a group of lawyers to study the case.”