san-pedro-sula-correction-010

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.”

This article appears in May 20 2013.