Reflection on Putis by a Representative of Christian Solidarity Worldwide
March 19, 2009
I had the very precious opportunity to visit the
community of Putis last month. It was an unforgettable experience, to visit
this community, it was so far from everything, so isolated and really, so
forgotten (with some very important exceptions, Peace and Hope, ANFASEP, etc).
We were able to spend a few, very special hours with the families of the victims.
I was very struck by the fact that when they spoke about what had a happened in
1984, you were left with the feeling that it happened yesterday, not 25 years
ago. For them the pain is very real - and their hope - to give their loved ones a dignified
burial, to have a place to remember their loved ones, and above all their hope
for justice - is so strong.
This morning I was reading John 10 and I was really
touched by Jesus' words when he talks about himself as the Good Shepherd. On
two occasions he says that although his sheep will be from different nations,
they will be of one herd.
When we visited Putis they received us as if we were
honoured brothers and sisters, as if we were from the same people. I returned
to the hotel that night thinking that we should also think of them, and not
just them but also the victims who were murdered in 1984 - as brothers and
sisters, because according to Christ, we are from the same people, the same
herd. I hope that we can all join them in their cry for justice...
Click here to learn more about Christian Solidarity Worldwide and to read its February 2009 report on the human rights situation in Peru, including the Putis massacre.
