Church and police unite in San Ignacio de Velasco against organised crime
Bishop Robert Flock called for action against drug trafficking and violence during a peace mass. Police reinforcements from La Paz arrived in the municipality as part of the Safe Border Plan.
Bishop Flock warns: "Nobody is truly safe" from organised crime
According to eju.tv, Bishop Robert Flock presided over a eucharist "for peace and security" in San Ignacio de Velasco, in which he forcefully questioned violence, drug trafficking and corruption, and called for action against criminal organisations without society losing its humanity or faith.
The Defence Minister, Ernesto Justiniano, and the Government Minister, Marco Antonio Oviedo, participated in the religious celebration, alongside military, police and municipal authorities.
In his homily, the Bishop of the Diocese appealed to the Ten Commandments to directly challenge those linked to drug trafficking: "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal." He recalled that over the past ten years San Matías recorded nearly 200 deaths, and that San Ignacio alone has accumulated nine fatalities so far this year. "Nobody is truly safe from criminal organisations," he warned.
Flock also noted that criminal networks particularly recruit young people from poor sectors, and questioned the normalisation of corruption and violence in the region. He stressed that those who committed crimes must answer to justice, although they have the possibility of finding forgiveness through conversion and rehabilitation. He called on authorities to take permanent action against crime.
Following the mass, Bishop Flock and state authorities made a tour of the main square of the Chiquitano municipality.
Police reinforcements from La Paz under the Safe Border Plan
In parallel, a large contingent of the Bolivian Police arrived in San Ignacio de Velasco from the city of La Paz to strengthen operations under the Safe Border Plan. The officers, heavily armed, arrived accompanied by Minister Oviedo and other police chiefs with the objective of intensifying security actions following recent acts of violence recorded in the area.
During Saturday's homily, the uniformed officers received a blessing with holy water and a prayer was offered for their protection in operations against organised crime in which they will participate.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz