Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

As neighboring countries recalled their ambassadors from Paraguay for consultation, Fernando Lugo, the bishop-turned-president who was impeached June 22, announced that he was forming a parallel government. Paraguay's Senate ousted Lugo, 61, after a two-day trial that the former president called a "parliamentary coup d'etat." The move came after a confrontation between landless peasants and police left 17 people dead. Vice President Federico Franco, who was sworn in as president immediately, said the Senate vote was constitutional, but he faced turbulent fallout as Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia announced that they would not recognize the new government or were recalling their ambassadors for consultation. The Argentine Foreign Ministry said Franco would not be invited to attend a meeting of the Mercosur South American trading bloc scheduled for June 27 in Argentina. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Paraguay's new chief executive would not be welcome at the next meeting of the Union of South American Nations. As the impeachment trial loomed, the Paraguayan bishops' conference issued a statement June 21 calling for "political prudence" and calm consideration of "the legal, political and social consequences of the impeachment trial." The bishops urged "political leaders, grassroots organizations, unions and the public to remain calm and avoid confrontation and violence." Paraguayan media reported that Bishop Claudio Gimenez Medina of Caacupe, president of the bishops' conference, met with Lugo June 21 and urged him to resign to avoid further violence and to take care of his health. Lugo has been undergoing cancer treatment for several years. Lugo took office in 2008, breaking the Colorado Party's 60-year grip on power, and his term was due to end in 2013. While in office, he faced significant political opposition from other politicians, including Franco. He also acknowledged having fathered two children while he was a bishop.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele at the White House in Washington April 14, 2025. (OSV News photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters)
”Do not collaborate in the fight against migrants by the great colonizing countries.”
Kevin ClarkeJune 05, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Superior, who had asked the high court to overturn a decision by the state supreme court that the agency argued discounted its religious identity.
“I did not expect this—I am humbled beyond words that the Holy Father has chosen me, not from outside, but from among the ranks of the priests of this beloved Diocese,” the bishop-designate said.
In this episode, we dive into a series of candid interviews conducted by veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell with cardinal-electors from around the world on the new pope.
Inside the VaticanJune 05, 2025