Golpe de estado – eighth day

It’s been quite an eighth day for us here in Honduras.

In the early Church, the day of Christ’ resurrection was thought of as the eighth day, the day on which all is brought to completion. But Honduras did not see much resurrection today.

I got up a half hour later than usual, prayed, washed some clothes and then went to Mass.

Father Henry celebrated Mass this morning in the chapel of San Martín de Porres up the hill from my house in Santa Rosa. Padre Fausto had gone to Tegucigalpa to join the thousands protesting the coup.

Father Henry spoke very pointedly about the role of Christians as prophets. “Do you get mad because you hear denunciations of injustice?” he asked.

Vaguely referring to yesterday’s demonstration for peace and democracy in Santa Rosa’s central plaza, he asked “How can you ask for peace if you are full of hatred, of resentment?...How can you ask for peace if you do not go to church or if you don’t pay your employees a decent wage?”

Our role as a prophet, he concluded is to announce the good news of Jesus as well as denounce injustice.

It was a thoughtful homily – not as straight-forwardly political as Padre Fausto’s sometimes are, but it touched me.

Much of today has been spent talking with people, looking for information on the internet, and corresponding with people by e-mail. It has been a great consolation to receive notes from friends through e-mail or Facebook. It has been even more moving to receive notes from people I don’t know who have come across my blog and write – many times wishing me “Stay safe.” I feel as if I am experiencing some of the “globalization of solidarity” – something we in Honduras deeply need.

Today’s Dramas or Tragicomedies

Deposed president Zelaya was supposed to return today and thousands were gathered in Tegucigalpa to greet him at the airport. But the government closed all the airports and sent troops to control the crowds. There are reports of clashes and at least two deaths.

While waiting for news I turned on the radio (since I don’t have a television). About 2:00 pm, regular programming was interrupted. The de facto president Roberto Micheletti and some of his advisors had a press conference which was broadcast on all the tv and radio stations. They call it a cadena and is broadcast by the government. The first statement was that that Nicaraguan troops were massing toward the border with Honduras. When questioned about details, no number or place was given and it was finally acknowledged that there were “small groups of Nicaraguan troops.” The de facto president admitted that the troops could be acting without authorization of their commanders. But it was also called a "psychological invasion." From a friend I learned that CCN Español reported that Nicaragua denied the allegation the US has not detected the movement of Nicaraguan troops on the border!

This press conference was repeated again on a national broadcast at 4:25. Though most stations were running it, the local Catholic radio station announced that since it was a repeat they would continue with broadcasting religious music instead of the repeat broadcast. One small courageous act.

Surfing the radio dial on Radio America later, I heard another national rebroadcast of the Cardinal’s statement from yesterday with words from another religious leader.

This feels a lot like fear mongering.

I must mention that acting president Micheletti mentioned that he had sent a letter to the Organization of American States suggesting dialogue but when asked what would be the issue for the dialogue an aide gave an ambiguous reply. it was reported that a US official said it was unclear what was the purpose of the proposed dialogue. Dialogue would be good – but it needs to include a wide consultation.

About 5:00 pm I was listening to the Catholic Radio station which reported that Zelaya’s plane was circling the Tegcigalpa airport. This sounded a little strange at first because a government official had earlier reported that Zelaya had landed in El Salvador. But I listened, even as I read e-mail reports from some one in the Caribbean. I called the Franciscan sisters who lived down the street and went to watch the television coverage.

The plane was circling with Zelaya and Father Miguel D’Escoto, the Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest who is General Secretary of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Three army vehicles on the runway were joined by a helicopter, preventing the landing. Eventually the plane went on to Nicaragua as a fuelling point, before going to El Salvador to meet up with the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, and Ecuador who were waiting for him there.

Zelaya is still outside the country, for better or worse. Many had advised Zelaya not to return. Some, like Cardinal Rodríguez of Tegucigalpa, feared a bloodbath and there were tens of thousands waiting for him. (One figure, from a leftist source, said a half million were there.) Some were concerned about the jubilant welcome these might have given him.

But the government had closed all the nations airport to prevent him from landing. It seems strange to me that if the government had an arrest warrant for him on multiple charges (some of them probably legitimate), why would they not arrange a way for him to land somewhere and then arrest him on the spot. Maybe they did try to negotiate this, but I have not heard any news.

A serio-comic aside: during an interview on the plane Zelaya quipped, "I'm doing everything I can. If I had a parachute I would immediately jump out of this plane." That would have been quite a sight!

So where are we now?

First of all I’m in my house since there is a 6:30 pm to 5:00 am curfew. Evening Masses were canceled in Santa Rosa and Gracias - and probably other places in the country. Even they keep this early curfew up many religious meetings - for example, my neighborhood base community - will have to be canceled or we take the risk to share our faith with our neighbors.

Who knows what the various parties in this conflict will do next? Will Zelaya try to re-enter tomorrow? What kind of dialogue will Michiletti really offer? Will the teachers and the government workers will continue their strike?

But the central question is whether real dialogue, including all parties and the poor of this country, and concern for the common good will have a chance?

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A correction?

In yesterday’s blog I said that I saw 400 to 600 people at the demonstration in the square. What I hadn’t known is that there was a march through the streets before the demonstration. La Prensa reported there were 5,000 people – which sounds a little high. But I still maintain two concerns: Where did the money come from for all the t-shirts? But, more importantly, are these good people being manipulated by the right wing?