2008-04. Monsignor Gerardi: 10 Years of Martyrdom
Guatemala City, Guatemala.
April 26, 2008.
Issue: Impunity / Historical Memory
“Monsignor Juan Jose Gerardi Conodera, former Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Guatemala, was brutally murdered on April 26, 1998, in the garage of San Sebastian Church’s parochial house. Two days earlier, Monsignor Gerardi had presented the Recuperation of Historic Memory (REMHI) report: Guatemala Never Again. A compilation of testimonies and other documents, the REMHI report relates the atrocities carried out mostly against indigenous poor civilians during the 36-year internal conflict which left over 200,000 mortal victims.” (1)“Those who could not tolerate the truth cut down the life of a man who, by doing so, made of Monsignor a true witness who signed the veracity of the report with his own blood.” (2)
“Since we want to contribute to the construction of a different country, we have recuperated the memory of the people. This path has been and continues to be full of risks and perils. But the construction of the Kingdom of God is also full of risks and perils, and only the builders are strong enough to face them.” (3)
Versión en español aquí.
In Japanese: 日本語で。
1 González, Mariano. “Las muertes de Monseñor Juan Gerardi: Ensayo sobre la batalla en torno a la memoria del Obispo”. Guatemala, April 29, 2008 (http://www.albedrio.org/htm/articulos/m/mgonzalez-005.htm).
2 Saravia Valdés, Raquel. “Monseñor Juan Gerardi”. Guatemala, April 29, 2008 (http://www.albedrio.org/htm/noticias/adital290408.htm).
3 Excerpt from Monseñor Gerardi’s speech during the presentation of the REMHI report; April 26, 1998.