Two people died and hundreds have been wounded in protest marches organized against the privatization of two state-owned electricity companies. Property damage amounted to about $100 million.
For now, the government has suspended the sale of the Egasa and Egesur electrical enterprises to the Belgian firm Tractebel.
«We appeal for nonviolence and serenity,» said a statement from the Peruvian bishops, who are in Rome on their quinquennial «ad limina» visit to the Holy See.
«Serenity that is not conformism but maturity for dialogue, respect for persons in their integrity, rights and property,» the statement continued. «Serenity is also objectivity, clarity, truth, honesty and responsibility.»
«With the Holy Father, John Paul II, we say to you: ´we must all make efforts to pacify spirits, moderate tensions, overcome divisions, heal wounds that might have opened between brothers,´» the bishops added in a statement. It was signed by Bishop Luis Bambarén Gastelumendi of Chimbote, president of the Peruvian episcopal conference.
