Since October 14, protests growing in size and intensity have erupted in Chile. Demonstrations of over 75,000 people against President Sebastian Piñera’s government’s decision to raise the price of metro tickets have left the country in turmoil. Though seemingly small, the fare hike touched on greater concerns regarding the relationship between the economy and the state. Chile is the fourth richest country in South America, while also having the third highest income inequality in South America.
Protestors are seeking larger reforms of health care, education, pensions, and social welfare systems. They are also advocating for the removal of President Piñera and the writing of a new constitution. President Piñera has refused to step down, but he has reshuffled his cabinet and called for constitutional reform. However, that failed to quell the concerns of the populous. He has said the country is “at war with a dangerous enemy” when referring to the protestors.
The police and military have been worsening the situation by using a disproportionate amount of force to establish order. According to the Chilean government, the rubber bullets used by the police to suppress riots actually contained less than 20% rubber. Because of this, incidences of bullets causing severe eye damage have been high. The police and military have been caught repeatedly on video brutally dealing with protestors. The government says these are just isolated occurrences and has categorically denounced them.
According to the Chilean Red Cross, 20 people have died, at least 2,500 people have been injured, and more than 7,000 have been arrested.
During this violence, Catholic churches have been frequent targets of protestors, vandals, and looters. On Friday, November 8, protestors looted The Church of the Assumption in Chile’s capital, Santiago. Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Mary were destroyed, and whole confessional booths and pews were removed and burned. On November 1, the Church of the Assumption was also attacked, but the pastor scared the perpetrators away by calling the authorities.
On November 10, the Mary Help of Christian shrine was attacked, statues and pews were stolen and destroyed, and the tabernacle was desecrated. Protestors also attacked Our Lady of the Angels parish in Viña del Mar.
In Nicaragua, a growing political crisis is emerging over the legitimacy and governance of President Daniel Ortega. This started in 2018 over the government’s harsh response to protestors opposing cuts to welfare and budget. Historically, Ortega and his supporters are known for harsh treatment of opponents.
The Catholic Church has tried to step in and mediate negotiations between the government and protestors since She is still respected by both sides. However, the attempts at mediation have seemed to have failed. Since then, the Ortega government and his supporters are attacking churches and priests. At San Juan Bautista Church, parishioners and priests attempted to block the doors with pews and even their own bodies to keep Ortega supporters from entering but failed. The supporters beat acolytes and churchgoers as they were attempting to flee. During the week of November 17, a cathedral was violently seized and the priest was beaten.
In Bolivia, four term president Evo Morales resigned from office after being instructed to do so by the military due to possible voting irregularities. Since his reelection on October 20, there have been doubts about the fairness of the elections. Pres. Morales offered to have the Organization of American States (OAS) review the election for irregularities. The OAS accepted the offer and claimed to have discovered irregularities. Morales called for a new election after the report and growing protests within the country. On November 10, he fled the country and was granted asylum in Mexico.
After Morales left power, Jeanine Añez, the main opposition leader, took power and promised to return peace and order to the country after weeks of violent protests. Under Morales, the constitution was changed to make Bolivia a secular state, departing from the nation’s Catholic tradition. Añez has brought religion and specifically Catholicism back into state affairs largely through public displays, like using oversized Bibles to swear in officials and wearing large crosses. She has already enacted many policy changes, even though she was never elected. She has promised to hold new, free and fair elections in the future.
Featured image courtesy of Fotomovimiento via Flickr
Ken Goetz is a philosophy major with minors in theology and linguistics from Northwest Ohio. A blackbelt, who is a fan of the Yankees, Pistons, and Browns, Ken reverted to the faith in 2019.
- Perspective: Political Crisis in Latin America - November 27, 2019
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