Struggle for Justice

Gloria Vicente Kanu told us her family’s story at breakfast today. You may already know the personal story of our missionary in Guatemala. When Gloria was a child, her father was targeted by the military authorities in Guatemala during the ‘80’s. Her family had to seek refuge in Mexico, and they eventually ended up at a Sanctuary Church, the University Christian Church in Chicago. [See http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/guatemala/ for more info] So Gloria has actually returned to homeland in Guatemala where she serves with her husband, Santos, along with their two children, Nicolas and Ixbalanke Gloria. Here you can see Gloria showing us the pillars in front of the Catholic cathedral with the names of those killed in the armed internal conflict—including her grandparents.

After breakfast we walked to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, where we met with the Metropolitan Archbishop, Monsignor Julio Juan Morales. Teresa Dulyea-Parker, Regional Minister of Illinois-Wisconsin, led our delegation in thanking the Archbishop for his commitment to ecumenism as a participant in the Christian Ecumenical Council of Guatemala—and for his passionate support for human rights and justice. Guatemala is one of three Latin American countries where the Roman Catholics are full partners with Protestants in the ecumenical councils. [The picture doesn’t show the noisy construction going on behind the plastic tarp on the wall during our visit.]

From the place of wealth and privilege we walked to a simple building that looks like any justice center in the United States—there we met with CONAVIGUA [National Confederation of Guatemalan Widows]. The Widows of Guatemala base their ministries from this place: empowering women to participate in the political and social structures of Guatemala, helping to shape public opinion for peace, working for justice and dignity of all, and assisting youth to reclaim their lives after the “internal armed conflict” took the lives of one or both of their parents.

We could all go on for hours talking about our experience of listening to their stories and hearing about their witness. As American Christians, we have reflected on what the death of Osama Bin Laden means to us after 9/11. These women are seeking justice, not vengeance or retaliation for the 200,000 killed.

They have been working since 1988 to help families reclaim the bodies of their loved ones so they can provide for burial with dignity. Sometimes survivors are looking at the clothing left at burial sites in an effort to identify a husband, a brother, a father, a son. This violence left over 50,000 widows and more than 200,000 orphaned children. Through it all the courageous women of CONAVIGUA provide psychological and spiritual accompaniment to heal their people, and to heal their land—“as a movement for wholeness.”

Their personal stories provided a context for our afternoon meeting with the staff of the Christian Ecumenical Council. These Christian leaders continue to work for conciliation and peace through their search for truth about the internal armed conflict that still affects their country today. They believe that when justice is established through reparations, then true forgiveness is possible. They recognize that peace is a process, not something found with the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords. Our Global Mission Partners are witnessing for peace that is more than the absence of war, but the presence of God’s Shalom.

Peace,
Ron Greene
Great Falls, Montana