-Monsignor, your administration ends at a time when all the spotlights are on the announced dissolution of the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana. Have you already been formally informed about that decision?
-Exactly on the afternoon of January 20, the bishops gathered in the plenary assembly, we met with Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, who as everyone knows has been sent by the Holy Father, to inform us about the Sodalitium of Christian Life. A second very important point, which is nothing new, is that based on the confirmation of the lack of a foundational charisma, and this the Episcopal Conference has been repeating for years and years; then, in the face of the lack of a foundational charisma with Mr. Luis Fernando Figari and, in addition to that, we have heard the causes, the details and the consequences of this event for the dioceses of Peru and of the decision of Pope Francis, which is already known, to suppress said Society of Apostolic Life.
-Is it official then, Monsignor?
-No, no, that is why I say that they are the decisions of Pope Francis to suppress said Society of Apostolic Life. So, I’m going to this which is fundamental, please. In this context we have been asked to wait for written notifications, that is, we hear that it came out in Aparecida, we hear it everywhere, in the press, but as you will understand, as an Episcopal Conference we officially need to have the written decree or the written decrees. We provide written notifications with all their scope. We don’t have this yet. And I am making this statement because the bishops, we are in an assembly, and a sovereign assembly, and they have asked me to at least say something to the press so as not to reassure if we do not understand the interest, the concern that there is about this case. We still do not have the written notifications with all their scope. But we have been confirmed with the firm will to accompany and provide justice for all the victims of the Sodalicio and (we are) waiting for the development of events in the coming days. We bishops asked the apostolic commissioner to also convey our gratitude to Pope Francis as soon as possible for this brave decision. The Pope is certainly very brave. We also express our full support for the task that the Pope has entrusted to Father Jordi. We have also indicated that the CEP will collaborate to help and protect the entire mission. The Bertomeu mission has not ended. But we have to say another of the great truths, and that is that the Scicluna-Jordi Commission is a sequence of reports that the Episcopal Conference has made some time ago.
-Did you send those reports?
-You interviewed me years ago, because they said, why the silence at the conference? We meet and tell you everything. We already have a document. This document is very important. All the bishops have spoken to him, it is the entire performance of the conference, over many years. And that is why we say, the Scicluna-Jordi Bertomeo commission is like a sequence of what has been done and said before. In due course, we will ask for the Holy Father’s authorization to make this document public. He is the only one who can authorize this to be public knowledge.
-And what year is that document, monsignor?
It comes from 2015. There is a compilation of letters, documents, statements, from 2015; the entire performance, until today. But this document has not been public, because these are things that go directly to the Holy See, but we are asking that the Holy Father authorize it to be made public and everything will be public, but it is also linked to the decision, as we have said, of the suppression of the Sodalicio and that we are waiting for written notifications. It is very important, because the Church does not act only like this, by word of mouth. The suppression of an entity does have to be the product of decrees, of written testimonies, right? That is important that you also know and know,
-And that will take long, monsignor? Are we talking about days, weeks?
Well, what can I tell you? I hope it’s soon. That is my desire, that it be soon, fast, and that this way the victims can also be compensated in every sense, financially, psychologically, all the elements of compensation, right? And in that the conference makes it very clear all the support for the decision of the Holy Father and the commission that has to collaborate and help, right?
-It’s already a decision made, there’s no going back on that, right?
I have already told you, I have told you very clearly. There is already a feeling, we wait for the written notification. This is the key to everything.
-And what is the notification, the signature of the Pope himself? Is there a specialized body?
Only the Holy Father can make a decree. That’s why we say we appreciate and support.
-When you tell me that they are going to support the victims, what type of support are we talking about, monsignor?
Of all kinds of support, of course. There is support, I think it is also known, saying that it has to be compensated economically, financially. There are also so many psychological, emotional situations. That’s all that concerns a repair. The conference, as we have said previously, is based in the Archdiocese of Lima. The Church has a scheme, a form, it has a right, so to speak, a systematization. And the Sodalicio is founded in Lima. And from diocesan right it passed to pontifical right. So, it has a lot to do with the Archdiocese of Lima. Well, this is what I could tell you. Please, I think no more. Let’s wait for the notification
-What will happen to the companies and educational centers, the Sodalicio cemeteries? Will they move on to another order?
I don’t even know. That’s why I tell you, we have to wait for the decree, the notifications with all the elements. Because if we don’t start to wonder, to imagine. We need the written document to know all the scope.
-Is all this going to be in the notification?
I hope it comes out soon. For me it’s everything…in the notification. Everything comes out there, everything comes out, everything must come out. We wait. Very good. I wanted to mention something about Trujillo, if you like.
-Of course, you are bishop of Trujillo, right?
It is very sad, very unfortunate what has happened. With that, let’s say, that car bomb that exploded in front of the Prosecutor’s Office. And I want to tell you two criteria, a little strong, but it is a harsh reality. First, I am not an expert, but as Archbishop of Trujillo I know more or less the entire population, the people, the part of society, and I believe that there is no authentic and effective citizen security policy. Because it is an issue of citizen security. Very sad, but it’s real. You have to make a mea culpa. Second criterion: The results show that there is no efficient intelligence work. There is probably intelligence work, but there is no efficient intelligence work to identify the mafias that carry out these attacks, which remind us very sadly of the times of terrorism.
-And it doesn’t just happen in Trujillo, monsignor, but at the national level. In Lima, you have seen that there are very high crime rates. What call would you make to, in this case, the president, the minister, who are responsible?
Look, the issue, I don’t want to politicize it, because I believe that we should not politicize things, but I think that for the entire society, for everyone, because there is also a co-responsibility. We must not only talk about responsibility, but also about co-responsibility. We lack that respect for life, the life of others, whoever they are. And we need, we also need God, a certain spirit in our life. And there is also another great truth. We think that things can be solved violently, drastically, and things do not necessarily have to be solved that way. We are human beings, we can dialogue, we can converse, but not in that way, violent, killing, taking life.
