Please pray and take action on behalf of the people of Peru.

Our Dominican Sisters of Springfield serving in Lima and Jarpa, Peru have asked for our attention and prayer. Sister Betty Vila Alania sent a message this week and the Maryknoll Sisters who also have a presence in Peru ask for signatures on a petition to the Biden Administration to denounce the violence of the current Peruvian leadership. There is also a call from the Dominican justice promoters in Peru calling for dialogue, vigilance, reflection and prayer. Follow the details below.

Click here to sign a petition to the U.S. State Department

Sister Betty's call for prayer

We, your sisters from the Mission of Peru are well, thank God. There is a lot of suffering in our country, a lot of violence. I think you already saw so much in the news about what is happening. This is a confrontation between Peruvians. There are already many deaths and so much destruction which is harming more the poorest people. We understand that it is important to protest, because in Lima everything has been centralized and those who live in the provinces have been forgotten. Please accompany us with prayers.

Sister Betty also aske for prayer for the meeting of The Conference of Dominican Sisters of Latin America and the Caribbean (CODALC)  as they assemble in Lima, January 26-February 1.

Statement from the Dominican Justice Promoters in Peru

1. With great pain and concern we are witnessing the events happening in our beloved Peru. As Christians, Peruvians, Dominicans, and members of Dominican schools we cannot be indifferent with what is happening with our Peruvian brothers and sisters from all over the country. Demonstrations are happening in our country, in some regions more than in others, but especially in the southern region. And today (Friday Jan. 20), in the capital of the country, there were more than a hundred of people injured and millions of Peruvian soles lost due to violent destruction.
2. This violence reflects the many delayed, unresolved problems, which have been piling up over time in Peru and have generated such frustration and dissatisfaction among our citizens. All of this has led to  legitimate social protests, which are being co-opted by some people and by some organizations to promote violent actions and thus distorting the legitimate requests of the majority of Peru’s citizens.
3. Today more than ever our civil leaders need to act with honor regarding the circumstances facing our country. They need to listen to the cry of the people and search for viable, peaceful and legal solutions, in an attitude of dialogue and openness. The national interests must be prioritized over personal and the political party interests.
4. An urgent solution to this crisis is an urgent necessity for  the restoration of harmony. We express our full support to the call made by the Conference of Bishops of Peru, to invite a dialogue with all sectors of society. It is important to find consensus decisions within the rule of law and our nation’s democratic structure.
5. We exhort to all the members of the Dominican Family and school communities to maintain a vigilant, reflective, and prayerful attitude. May we follow Pope Francis’ words “Let us seek for solutions together, let us open processes of transformation without fear, and let us look to the future.” May we continue united in prayer to reclaim the social peace and the wellbeing of all in our nation.

Join in the Maryknoll Call for Action

Peru is facing a moment of deep political turmoil, including the massacre of dozens of mostly indigenous citizens in the long marginalized southern region of the Andean country. Since a controversial change of government last December 7, protesters have been met by extreme violence by security forces, leading to more than 50 deaths, 600 serious injuries and hundreds of arbitrary detentions.

Communities enraged by the violence took their concerns to the capital city of Lima this past weekend (Jan. 21), where further government repression has been unleashed, leading to more deaths and injuries.

“The root cause of these protests are the 500 years of exclusion and racism toward indigenous communities,” said Sr. Patricia Ryan, MM in a Spanish language interview with Epicenter TV.

“Every time the Aymara, Quechua and Uru people raise their voices, they are labeled as terrorists. This burns.”

Click here to sign a petition to the U.S. State Department

Please join us in calling on the U.S. government to reject the disproportionate and excessive use of government force against protestors in Peru and condemn the use of stigmatizing language against indigenous citizens, which enables this brutal repression.