Juan Cruz Cellammare, president of the Latin Evangelical Alliance (AEL), has proposed that the case of Paraguay’s former president, Santiago Peña, be studied in the country’s classrooms and institutions. He said it shows that a leader’s academic record is not enough without principles to guide his decisions.
Cellammare, a Paraguayan pastor and evangelist, spoke Nov. 5 to RCC (Red Chaqueña de Comunicaciones), a media group he heads. His remarks came after Peña announced his resignation amid the collapse of Ueno Bank, a crisis that froze the savings of millions of Paraguayans, as Christian Daily International’s Spanish edition, Diario Cristiano, reported.
Events have moved quickly since then. On Nov. 6, the Senate voted 44-0 to remove Peña from office through impeachment, and Vice President Pedro Alliana was sworn in as president. Peña was placed under house arrest the same day as prosecutors investigate the Ueno Bank case.
Cellammare said it is up to the courts and Congress to determine responsibility in the case. He also asked people to pray for Paraguay and for the families affected by the crisis.
“Ethics cannot be an elective subject,” Cellammare said, according to RCC.
He said character formation begins at home, with the example of parents. Schools, universities and churches also have a role in that task, he said.
He said the media have a responsibility to promote honesty and to keep corruption from becoming normal.
Cellammare compared churches to a hospital open to anyone who needs help, whatever their story.
“The church is for sinners who are seeking change,” he told RCC. He pointed to the passage in the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus compares his call to repentance to the care a doctor gives the sick.
He asked the country’s pastors to invite everyone to hear the Gospel and to pray for them, regardless of their political views. He also questioned the use of the pulpit for campaigning, saying it should be kept for preaching and for supporting those who seek help.
Original reporting by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
