PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Thirteen: University of Central America

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

5 October 1990, 3:00 PM - University of Central America

We are welcomed to the university and led back a hallway to a conference room/library where some of the items which were attacked during the massacre are on display. [On the night of 16 November 1989 members of the elite Atlacatl Battalion of the Salvadoran military invaded the UCA and massacred six Jesuit priests/scholars, their housekeeper, and her daughter.] There are text books and a Bible which were machine-gunned into tatters. A scorched and blistered portrait of Archbishop Romero hangs in a charred wooden frame. The glass which had once covered it drips in icicles from the lower edge of the frame, melted by flame throwers and solidified again into tortured columns. The wooden panel above the door frame is pierced repeatedly with bullet holes, mementos of that terrible night nearly a year ago.

A slightly-built, middle-aged Spanish priest enters the room and takes his seat at the head of the conference table. He is introduced to us as Rafael Sivatte, an assistant to Fr. Jon Sobrino.

"I have been here since 1985, more or less - teaching at the university three months of each year. The last time that I was here was just before the massacre. But now I am settled in to stay as the Old Testament professor and assistant to Jon Sobrino.

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Twelve: CODEFAM

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

5 October 1990, 11:50 AM - CODEFAM

This group was formed on 9 September 1981 out of the roots of the war in El Salvador by families of captured, disappeared, and assassinated persons. It was originally called Comite. Later, on 14 March 1983 Marianella Garcia Villas was assassinated in Las Bermudas. She was a worker who fought for human rights, and at the time of her death she was investigating the use of chemicals in bombing by the military. She was accompanying ninety families who were escaping from a strong military operation when she was wounded and captured. First she was taken to a military school, then to a military hospital, where she was tortured – burned on the legs and arms, raped, and forced to swallow a grenade which then was exploded. She was a founder of the Human Rights office which PVC just visited, and CODEFAM works in her name today.

(Later we were to meet a young girl named Marianella. Her mother, whose first husband was disappeared, tells us that the child was born just a few months after Marianella Garcia Villas' assassination, and that when she went to register the birth, the authorities questioned her sharply as to whether she was sure that she wanted to give her daughter such a controversial name. She answered them proudly that yes, that was her deliberate intention.)

"The work of the committee is three-fold: 1. to struggle for the defense of human rights, with priority on freeing political prisoners; 2. to struggle to clarify the whereabouts of the disappeared and to enforce existing laws in El Salvador to discontinue this practice; and 3. to bring those persons who are responsible for the violations of human rights to trial and punishment.

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Eleven: The Independent Human Rights Commission

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

5 October 1990, 10:15 AM - The Independent Human Rights Commission

We are introduced to Jorge, who will tell us about the history and work of the Commission.

"I am pleased that you are here, because your visit demonstrates the authority that our group has internationally.

"We began on 1 April 1978 at the initiative of professors and students at the National University who raised concerns about the rise in human rights violations at that time. In twelve years we have suffered two disappearances, three assassinations, and three captures. But we still continue despite the oppression of the armed forces.

"We are members of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIHD) and of the Coordination of Human Rights in Central America (CODEHUCA). Our organization has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and this year received a prize from the non-governmental organization 2001 in Sweden. Also the Lutheran Church has extended to us the symbol of human rights.

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Ten: The Dental Clinic

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

5 October 1990, 8:30 AM - The Dental Clinic

We are seated in a circle on folding chairs in a corner of a large garage or warehouse, talking with two of the leaders who direct the dental clinic. They begin with a history of the project.

- "Brazilian doctor Nathan Kamilot came here to develop a health project. As he worked among the people, he determined that there was a major problem with dental care, and that many health problems could be traced to dental problems. For instance, a lack of teeth can cause secondary malnutrition. Dental promotion was a new concept here. Dr. Kamilot studied to learn dental work himself, then started teaching others. The project took off. A proposal for funding was made to SHARE and to the Public Welfare Foundation, a U.S. organization which awards grants for health work. The funding is ongoing, because the project by its nature cannot be self-supporting. The PWF grant was about $50,000.00 and is still being given out.

"We train community members to do cleaning, extractions, and fillings, and to make and fit false teeth. This is a constant educational program, and it is spreading like wildfire all over the country. The main problem is getting supplies through to where they are needed. Our community clinics need generators and compressors, but anything bigger than a toothbrush is considered subversive. The doctor who started this work has since been captured and deported.

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Nine: Chalatenango

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

4 October 1990: The Feast of St. Francis - Chalatenango

We leave soon after 7:00 AM for Chalatenango, a trip which should take only about three hours driving time, but on which we anticipate delays at military roadblocks. The first is at a bridge about an hour outside of the city, where we are held for a half hour and depart with instructions to stop at the military installation up the road. Ignoring this order would be both futile and dangerous, for the troops at the roadblock are obviously in radio communication with their headquarters.

At the gate we are stopped and required to surrender all cameras, which are collected and taken into the guard house. We then proceed up an inclined driveway to the parking area outside of what appears to be the main building of the installation. Chris tells us all to stay on the bus, while he goes into the building to negotiate permission for us to continue. Though our salvos are in order, any one of these regional commanders could decide not to honor them. While we are waiting, soldiers are working in the area of the bus on various projects. One group displays a speed and efficiency which leads us to believe that they had been trained by PennDOT. [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which is definitely NOT known for its speed and efficiency.] We also observe a white car with polarized windows drive up, from which emerges a gringo in military uniform (presumably U.S.) Later Chris tells us that he had had a rather lengthy talk with a U.S. "advisor" inside the headquarters while he was waiting for our papers to be reviewed.

Finally after an hour of sitting in an increasingly hot bus, we are cheered to see Chris emerge from the building with an expression of success on his face. At the gate we are handed back our cameras and are relieved to note that no film had been removed from any of them. From there we proceed into the city of Chalatenango, where we are stopped by the local police, who want to check the driver's papers. Chris explains that this is fairly routine and has nothing to do with our earlier stop. Probably the driver will have to pay a fee (bribe?) and we will be able to be on our way.

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Eight: 22nd of April Parish

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

3 October 1990, 4:00 PM - 22nd of April Parish

As the afternoon wanes toward evening, our bus takes us to the outskirts of San Salvador, to the church building in 22nd of April Parish, about which I have heard so much for so long. This was Father Jim Barnett's parish before he had to flee last November. We are introduced to "the tallest man in El Salvador" - Father Gerardo, a German priest who towers over everyone in our group, even Chris. We enter the church and sit on benches in the back while Father Gerardo tells us the history of the parish and explains some of the work they are doing.

"This parish was founded nearly twenty years ago, near a former garbage dump. The people who built here literally invaded the place. They were threatened in the beginning and told to leave. These were people who had lived in San Salvador and had lost their homes because they couldn't pay the rent. This has always been a parish of poor people; many are unemployed. Years later people who had been displaced from the countryside began to arrive.

"This area is divided into four sectors. I serve two of those sectors, 22nd of April and La Credisa. There are fifteen thousand displaced persons living in these two sectors now.

"The work of the parish is organized by lay commissions – for missionaries, for catechists, for day care, for schools, for the artisans, carpentry, liturgies, youth groups, the elderly. Every commission has two representatives who meet together every Thursday evening to evaluate the work and plan for the future. There is also a pastoral team, with members elected by the commissions for a one or a two year term. This team consists of three religious, three lay persons from the 22nd of April, and three lay persons from the other sector. Two Sisters and I are the religious on the team at present. There are other Sisters who work in the parish but are not on the pastoral team."

Question: What is the most difficult thing for you working here, and what gives you the most joy?

"It is difficult to live in another country. I notice more and more that I am a foreigner. One can learn another language, but one can never know what every word means. It is difficult to know what offends people. I can't do direct translations, because something which would be quite all right for me to say in German comes out being very offensive in Spanish. It is difficult for me not to live in my own culture, not to be allowed to read whatever I want and to have whatever books I want. This is a very oppressive and totalitarian society. Here I must be very careful all the time.

"As for joy, the work is very satisfying, especially with the children. There is more liberty here to do what I want with methods of education. In Germany the school system is very controlled."

Question: What is your community's relationship with the government?

"Since the offensive, there has been more development in this parish. They have installed drainage canals and built public housing. But they do it on an individual basis, and this divides the people. The government won't work with the community as a community.

"A majority of the children do not go to school. There are official textbooks, but we don't use them. We get other books from Mexico, Guatemala, Spain.

"The offensive was not very strong in 22nd of April. It was much worse in Credisa. I wore earplugs and slept very well on Saturday night! We opened the clinic on Sunday afternoon. Soldiers came to the foot of the street, but they feared the guerrillas and wouldn't advance up the street. Then helicopters came after the guerrillas, but they wounded and killed many civilians. Middle class people in the parish criticized us for opening the clinic. They said that we did it to help the guerrillas. So many of the middle class left our church and went over to the fundamentalists. But the reality was that the FMLN had their own clinic. They didn't need our facilities.

"On Tuesday we opened the church. The FMLN had told the people in La Credisa to evacuate. Some residents had been trapped in their homes by the fighting. They asked me to ask the FMLN to let them out. The FMLN said yes, if the people would go directly to the priests' home. Afterwards some of these same people that I helped said that my success in negotiating with the FMLN proved that I was a friend of the FMLN.

"The people in the community are very fearful, especially the poor. Under other conditions most of these people would be in favor of the revolution. But here people do not speak about politics. They are controlled by propaganda and counter-insurgency tactics.

"You know, when at first one speaks out of fear, one is aware of what one is doing. But after a while, you forget that what you are saying is said under fear. You think that it is your own idea. And you end up saying what the TV says. For example, young priests know the gospel and preach it. But after enduring conflict and opposition, they muffle what they say. And gradually they come to believe that their bland sermons are still the gospel message."

Father Gerardo excuses himself and hurries off to another appointment. Our group leaves the sanctuary and walks around to a small room built against the side of the church. Here the artisans' cooperative makes and sells decorated greeting cards, notebooks, and wooden items. The first timers get first chance at the shopping, then wait while the others make their purchases. I buy three small wooden crosses on thread to be worn around the neck, two larger crosses which can be used hanging on the wall, a set of twenty-five notecards, six wooden Christmas tree ornaments, and one hand-painted notebook.

Copyright © 2022 Marian L. Shatto

 

PVC 1990 Delegation – Part Seven: CPDN/National Debate

The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.

3 October 1990, 2:00 PM - The Permanent Commission of the National Debate for Peace in El Salvador (called CPDN or National Debate)

There are treasury police outside, so Chris and BD go ahead to check out whether or not entering will be safe. When we are given the signal, we go in as a tight, silent! group through a heavy wrought iron gate with an attendant, into a large, impressive-looking building. We are ushered through a reception area and seated on folding chairs in a circle in a large, airy room. The walls and ceiling are white, with royal blue trim and much use of black wrought iron. The floor is terrazzo tile. I point out to Linda that the roof has a sawtooth design very similar to that of the Mill Building [an old paper mill repurposed as a bank operations center, where she and I both worked at the time]. There are two other meetings going on in this room, and voices become loud at times. The sign on one wall says FEDECACES.

An international church worker gives us some background on the organization, which he explains was started at the initiative of the U.S. Embassy as a confederation of cooperatives. Later they went over to the UNTS (National Union of Salvadoran Workers). At this point the embassy went to them as said, "You have a debt to pay for the building. If you stay with UNTS, you must pay at the current exchange rate of 5 to 1, but if you leave UNTS you can pay at the old rate of 2.5 to 1. And if you don't pay, we will take you to court."

The building now houses the National Debate, which was started by Archbishop Rivera y Damas as a mechanism to have representatives from across the political spectrum sit down and talk with one another. The center to left responded positively, but the right, especially the religious right, launched a massive campaign saying that the National Debate is just a front for the FMLN. The Catholic hierarchy was rather chagrined and pulled back from the process.