Doctrinal Note Further Blurs Separation of Church, State
Costa Rican politicians this week were urged to follow the Vatican's new guide to political life, entitled "Doctrinal Note on Matters Pertaining to the Obligations and Conduct of Catholics in Political Life."
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C.A. Unites Forces to Combat Organized Crime
GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) -- Attorney Generals of the five Central American countries met in the Guatemalan capital yesterday for the first day of a three-day meeting aimed at united regional efforts to combat drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime and corruption.
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C.R. Eliminating Dangerous Chemicals on Melons
Agriculture Minister Rodolfo Coto this week announced that Costa Rica has reduced the use of the chemical Methyl Bromide in its melon plantations by nearly 50% during the last three years.
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KU Meets with C.R. Officials
on Martin Murder Case
Two officials from the University of Kansas (KU) traveled to Costa Rica this week to meet yesterday with Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) director Jorge Rojas, following a letter send by President Abel Pacheco Feb. 24 to KU Chancellor Robert. E. Hemenway, assuring him the Tico government "is committed to seeing the cruel murder of Shannon Martin solved as quickly as possible."
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Vinum La Cofradía Events
Wine tasting at 7 p.m., Wine Tasting, Escazú. Info: 289-5917, 289-7763, info@vinumlacofradia.com

Literary Workshop
Today from 6-8 p.m. at Centro Alajuelense de la Cultura, Alajuela, 440-1022.

Seminar on "Conscious Relations"
Directed by Rev. Juan Enrique Toro, today and March 13, from 7-9:30 p.m., Unity Church, 150 m. south of Distribuidora Bello Horizonte, Bello Horizonte, Escazú. Info: 203-0198.

Vigil for Non Violence
University Spiritual Brahma Kumaris, the Friends Peace Center and other Costa Rican organizations invite everyone to participate on 5-8 p.m. at Parque Central, in San José to this vigil for peace with music, candles and more.

Doctrinal Note Further Blurs Separation of Church, State
By Fabián Borges
Tico Times Staff

Costa Rican politicians this week were urged to follow the Vatican's new guide to political life, entitled "Doctrinal Note on Matters Pertaining to the Obligations and Conduct of Catholics in Political Life."

The Doctrinal Note -- spelling out Catholic ethical and moral principles in politics --was issued late last year by the Vatican and approved by Pope John Paul II in November, 2002.

After the document was translated into Spanish, the Costa Rican Episcopal Conference presented it to Tico politicians on Tuesday during a panel discussion on Catholicism, Ethics and Morality, attended by President Abel Pacheco and church leaders.

Episcopal Conference President Monsignor José Francisco Ulloa said the Doctrinal Note would serve as an invaluable tool to teach Catholics appropriate behavior in political matters. In his opinion, the moral values that serve as the cornerstone of Christianity need to be at the center of all aspects of politics.

"There are those who would like to see the Church limited strictly to religious matters and the private affairs of individuals," he explained. "There is no reason why faith must be limited to personal or family life. It needs to play a role in the workplace and in the economic, social and political development of society."

Separation of Church and State does not mean that government and politics can exist outside of the universal moral and ethical guidelines that serve as the core the Catholic Church's teachings, he said.

"The church does not intend to take the place of those who govern," Ulloa added. "However, the Church has the right and the obligation to issue moral judgments on the matters that affect faith and moral laws. Christianity must evangelize the totality of human existence, including political life."

Ulloa sharply criticized what he called the "recent wave of cultural pluralism," which, in his opinion, has undermined morality and is jeopardizing societal institutions, such as monogamous heterosexual marriage and the right to life.

Speaking at the event, President Abel Pacheco echoed the document's intentions, urging Catholics to play a more active role in politics while following strict moral and ethical guidelines. He also promised to continue to honor his campaign promise to fight corruption and return ethics and morality to politics.

"Catholics cannot be simple spectators of reality," Pacheco said. "They must be its builders and renovators in the endless fight against injustice, abuse and corruption."

Political analyst and former Planning Minister Leonardo Garnier expressed mixed opinions of the document. He agreed that Catholics, and all other social groups, must take part in political matters and that ethics need to be at the center of politics.

However, he blasted the document for blaming society's "problems" -- namely divorce, homosexuality and euthanasia -- on "cultural pluralism."

In his opinion, the unfair distribution of wealth, the lack of adequate medicine and health care in developing nations and the AIDS epidemic in Africa are the real problems affecting the world today.

"On the one hand, I am very pleased the Church is urging Catholics to participate in politics," Garnier explained. "On the other hand, I am saddened that it remains so conservative. More than 500 years have passed and very few things have changed."

C.A. Unites Forces to Combat Organized Crime

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) -- Attorney Generals of the five Central American countries met in the Guatemalan capital yesterday for the first day of a three-day meeting aimed at united regional efforts to combat drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime and corruption.

During the meetings, the Attorney Generals will attempt to draft a common policy that will then be presented to each country's President to be implemented as part of an isthmus-wide "fight against globalized organized crime," said Guatemalan Attorney General Carlos de León.

Another concern to be addressed during the talks is the dramatic increase in private security forces.

Costa Rican Attorney General Carlos Arias noted that, as violence and crime grow, "fear has become privatized."

"Currently there are more private security forces than public security officers in Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica," Arias noted.