Catholic News Service article

There's a new article from Catholic News Service, "Catholic officials laud agreement to end Honduran crisis," which is not bad, except for two serious errors.

It states that many countries of the world refused to recognize the "interim" government. I believe that NO country in the world recognized the de facto regime of Micheletti even though, I believe, the US, Israel, and Taiwan continued to have ambassadors in the country.

But, more seriously, the article repeats the unproven assertion that, when Zelaya called for poll on having a ballot question in November on whether to call for a national Constitutional Assembly (the Constituyente), this was done so that reelection of the president for a second term would be permitted. This is unproven.

Yet, what is most interesting now is that, according to a recent poll, 55% of those polled think the constitution should be amended to allow for re-election. In addition, there has been growing interest in a "Constituyente" - a Constitutional Assembly - growing among the people. Even though Zelaya agrees in the current accord to drop the call for a constitutional assembly, I wonder whether this might be an issue for which the civil society, especially those connected to the Resistance to the coup, will continue to press. The coup, I think, signified a break down of the Honduran constitutional order and so something must be done.

Also of note: in an effort to begin a process of reconciliation, a number of diocesan Caritas offices has begun to hold public forums, not to argue or to dialogue but to listen to the people. There may be other efforts to ease the intense polarization that Honduras has experienced this year, even before the coup. But I hope efforts also address the polarization that can be found at the heart of Honduras where there is great economic disparity as well as racism and classism that make many of the poor feel inferior and that keep them from participating in their society.