Condolences from Pope Francis on the death of environmentalist leader

VATICAN CITY (EFE and AP).— Yesterday, Pope Francis condemned the murder of the environmentalist leader and councilor of the Honduran municipality of Toco, Juan Antonio López, and showed his closeness to all “those who see their rights crushed and are committed to the common good.”

“I have received the sad news of the murder of Juan Antonio López (…) I join in the mourning of this Church and condemn all types of violence,” Francis said at the end of the Angelus prayer from the window of the apostolic palace.

And he added: “I am close to all those who see their elementary rights crushed and to all those who are committed to the common good in response to the cry of the poor of the earth.”

López, who was a councilor of the Caribbean municipality of Toca, for the ruling Freedom and Refoundation Party (Libre), was murdered despite the fact that he had precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since 2023.

The environmentalist fought in defense of the Guapinol River and continued to be threatened for protecting the Botaderos “Carlos Escaleras Mejía” national park.

The Pope thus joined a growing number of international voices that have expressed concern about the murder.

Environmental leader Juan López was shot dead earlier this month in the municipality of Tocoa, in rural northern Honduras, after spending years fighting mining companies to preserve the region’s rivers and forests.

The rural Caribbean region of Colón has seen a wave of murders of environmental defenders in recent years, and three activists from López’s organization were murdered last year.

The religious leader joined several world leaders in condemning the murder.

Last week, Brian A. Nichols, US assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, demanded justice for Juan Antonio López.

La ONUPostura

The UN also ruled on the murder of the Honduran environmental leader.

Request investigation

In the case of Juan Antonio López, the organization requested that “an immediate, exhaustive and impartial investigation be carried out that allows the identification and punishment of the people responsible, both materially and intellectually, for this murder.”

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