The Episcopal Conference demands of the authorities with respect to the rule of law. They speak out against the process followed by the Assembly and the Supreme Court to dismiss judges, among other issues.
The Episcopal Conference of El Salvador has ruled against the compulsory dismissal of judges and prosecutors, against the way in which presidential re-election has been endorsed and the irrigations that actions such as these, which have not respected due process, entail for the democracy and respect for the rule of law.
In a statement issued today, the bishops state that both the Salvadoran people “yearn to live in a state full of law and justice,” a right that has been denied for years due to the exercise of illegitimate practices. and inappropriate as corruption, impunity, nepotism and compadrazgo, as well as the purchase of wills, lying, defamation and slander.
The result of these practices, they say, is that there have been victims among the Salvadoran people, such is the case of Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Rutilio Gran, Fra Cosme Spessotto, Manuel Solórzano and Nelson Rutilio Lemus, the murders have gone unpunished.
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In the writ, the bishops also address issues such as the new judicial blow given from the bureaucracy with the reforms to the Judicial Career Act, an action that has been described as illegal, as the Constitution does not give them to the deputies this initiative.
In this regard, the bishops consider that while the purification of the judicial system is important, this must be done “respecting due process.” This, they say, is valid both for the case of the dismissal of a third of the judges and for the issue of presidential re-election, which has been validated via a resolution of the Constitutional Chamber a few days ago.
“That is why we raise our voice to remind the responsible authorities, that these actions can only be valid if they are attached to the constitutional law of the country because the end does not justify the means,” the bishops said in their statement.
And they add: “Although in the actions mentioned there is a legitimate desire to change a status quo, which for years has hurt the vast majority, it seems to us that changing an unjust system through arbitrary and unconstitutional actions does not pay the transformation of the nation “.
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For episcopal leaders, the actions promoted would only give way to a scaffolding, a new status quo based on actions contrary to law and justice, the fruits are not beneficial to the population.
Bishops also reject attempts at constitutional reforms driven by the Nayib Bukele government and the project is led by Vice President Felix Ulloa. “The petrified articles of our political constitution cannot be reformed, they must be preserved as such, because otherwise the democratic system that our people have always defended would be violated,” they argue.
In this framework of the purported constitutional reforms, the bishops also reject the approval of abortion and euthanasia, sharing the voices that consider it a setback in terms of the defense of human life. “Murder will never be legal,” they express.
They also refer to other issues such as the implementation of bitcoin as a legal tender. To this, the bishops share the concern and fear of much of the Salvadoran community and call on the Legislature to reform the law in order to eliminate its mandatory use.
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