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

Msgr. Romulo Emiliani Sánchez, C.M.F., auxiliary bishop of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has begun a dialogue with the main criminal gangs in his Central American nation in an attempt at a truce modeled after an agreement that has reduced gang violence in the neigboring country of El Salvador. “We are in a process of recovering respect for life; we are listening to both gangs, but the government has not yet given an answer,” said Bishop Sánchez. The two gangs are the Mara Salvatrucha and the “18 Street” gang. The bishop has acknowledged that the government is reluctant to talk to the gangs, but “we have the example of countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Colombia,” where authorities have negotiated with gang members to promote peace. Bishop Sánchez said the progress of the peace efforts may be measured in “generations’ time.”

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
John Donaghy
12 years ago
The auxiliary bishop of San Pedro Sula should be noted as Monseñor/Bishop Emiliani. As is common in Latin America he has two last names Emiliani Sánchez, the first of which is his father's name and the second his mother's. So it is inaccurate to call him Bishop Sánchez. Bishop Emiliani is a remarkable bishop in his ministry to "those deprived of liberty," as we call the imprisoned here. A short time ago he negotiated the end of a riot that had killed several people, going into the prison several times. As i heard him say, he wasn't sure he would come out alive. I pray his courage and his faith in God will help bring about a peace between the gangs and violence free zones as has happened in El Salvador.

The latest from america

Our country is not only in a constitutional crisis; we are in a biblical crisis.
Terence SweeneyMay 21, 2025
A Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinMay 21, 2025
Pope Leo XIV meets with Vice President JD Vance after the formal inauguration of his pontificate at the Vatican on May 18. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Leo I helped to ensure that Catholicism would outlast the Roman Empire. His name is a reminder that our faith rises above contemporary politics and temporal authority.
The Gospel parable of the “wasteful sower” who casts seeds on fertile soil as well as on a rocky path “is an image of the way God loves us,” Pope Leo XIV told 40,000 visitors and pilgrims at his first weekly general audience.
Cindy Wooden May 21, 2025