As the political impasse in Honduras continues, which side would God be on? If you listen to the two gentlemen claiming to be president they’ll each insist to have the Almighty backing their cause.While speaking in Nicaraguan border territory last Sunday, ousted president Manuel Zelaya asked his followers if they believed in God and, thus, if they believed that Zelaya should be allowed to return to his post. On Friday, Zelaya warned of the possible civil conflict by saying “God forbid the violence that will come” to Honduras.
Appointed president Roberto Micheletti went further than Zelaya this week and appeared on televise in gratitude to what he claims was the Almighty helping him. “I am here not because men put me here, I am here because God put me here,” claimed Micheletti who also asked that God show his opponents “the light.”
As if the invocation of God for petty political purposes were not enough, Honduras’ Catholic Church has taken sides:
The Honduran Catholic Church — once a natural, national mediator — is at odds with the international community in backing the country’s recent overthrow of President Zelaya.If there is a God, I’m sure he’s in the heavens above shaking his head and wondering why such buffoons in Honduras claimed to have received His divine intervention.
The Church claims that the unseen hand of Venezuela’s Chavez has shocked it into taking sides.
Image- Milenio (Manuel Zelaya in apparently silent prayer)
Online Sources- Milenio, Russia Today, Reuters, The Latin Americanist
6 comments:
Good day. I do not read where the Catholic Church has invoked God to support their anti-Zelaya position. Just because the Catholic church is a religious body does not necessarily mean that they use their raison d'être purpose as a reason to support their belief against Zelaya. They happen to be also an organisation of people that may have their own non-religious based political positions. I do realise that some Catholics may support them in this conundrum simply because the Church does carry weight for them, but that is still not saying that the Church is invoking God against Zelaya. Thank you for a delightful blog. It seems I need to read it almost daily; you keep me up to speed on Latin America occurrences. Although, our region is like a telenovela, so every day can bring a new surprising and/or entertaining twist.
Oops, I now see where indeed the Church did mention God in relation to Zelaya's behaviour. Somehow I missed that in the first reading ...??? Of course, you may disregard my first comment. The second one about your Blog is still valid.
WAIT! I take back what I took back. I see now that it was your comment about "God shaking his head." And, of course, you still have a delightful blog!
l guess God is in the soul-saving business, not in government soap-operas.
For us here on earth, we should embrace the truth and call things by its name: Micheletti is not an "appointed president" but a de facto leader.
j_major - good day. I disagree. Constitutional attorneys from several countries (including my native France) have stated that the choice of Mr. Micheletti was a legal process. In addition, Zelaya, by simply pursuing a referendum for re-election, forfeited his presidency. Apparently, that is what is stated in the Honduran Constitution. According to the legal opinions I have read, the only breach of the Constitution was expelling Mr. Zelaya from the country, the Honduran Constitution directly forbids that for any Honduran. If the entrie decision process was legal, it is a shame that the current court and the legislature handled it illegally.
l don't recall a legal process for ousting zelaya from office (or from bed, in this case). if the "automatic-outsing-from-office" is the right explanantion, there was no need to show a fake resignation of zelaya.
but if what you are saying is right, they should not forbid zelaya from returning to honduras.
and what's with the VP? was he also part of the breaching of the constitution? did he actually resign? even if zelaya expelled himself from office, the VP should have taken office in his place and we all know that didn't happen.
l respect your opinion and those from french experts, but l guess all those presidents who have backed zelaya have legal analysis by their foreign affairs ministries before those public endorsements.
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