In the framework of the #SomethingChanged campaign, driven by Celam, Monsignor Henry Ruiz, bishop of Trujillo, Honduras, spoke with ADN Celam about the Church's response to communities affected by violence and about the legacy of Juan López, an environmental leader murdered in 2024, which keeps alive the defense of life, justice, and territory.
Listening to the communities is, for Monsignor Ruiz, the starting point of pastoral accompaniment. “First of all, listen to them and then with them also seek those most urgent needs they may have”, he stated, emphasizing the importance of knowing their fears, cries, and needs to accompany them in the defense of their rights and dignity.
Listen, accompany, and be present
In the face of threats, the Church seeks for communities to have tools to defend themselves and protect their dignity. Therefore, the accompaniment includes guidance on their rights, knowledge of the laws, and coordination with social and human rights organizations.
Being alongside communities, especially in times of greatest tension, is another way to accompany. Open councils, public demonstrations, and other defense actions become spaces where the Church makes its solidarity visible. “Let them feel that they are not alone, that the Lord is with them, that the Lord is by their side,” explained the bishop.
Prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist are part of this accompaniment, but also the support for the conditions that allow communities to sustain their life and organization. From social pastoral care, the bishop explained, their productive processes are supported, including the planting of corn and beans.
Juan López: faith that becomes commitment
The testimony of Juan López reflects, for the prelate, a faith capable of leaving religious spaces to engage with reality. “We recognize that Juan López was a man who had managed to unite two things, faith and life,” he asserted.
For the bishop of Trujillo, that deep union between faith and life was reflected in Juan's commitment to the defense of water, forests, and the environment. “His commitment to life, to water, to the forest, to the environment is a commitment that came from Jesus Christ, from the Gospel”, he recalled.
In Juan López, Monsignor Ruiz recognizes a way of exercising Christian commitment through listening and dialogue, without losing the firmness to defend the truth. “This wonderful legacy of courage, of listening, of a capacity to be able to dialogue with everyone, but in the midst of it all always speak the truth”, he expressed.
Memory that demands justice
The memory of Juan López is also projected through the award that bears his name, created by the Episcopal Conference and the Catholic University of Honduras to recognize the Christian commitment to justice and the most vulnerable. More than a tribute, explained Monsignor Ruiz, the initiative seeks to keep alive the demand for justice for Juan and for all defenders of life, the environment, and human rights.
The demand for justice is also actively maintained in the judicial sphere. The diocese, parishes, and communities accompany the hearings with their presence in the courts and through public statements. “There is a presence of the communities, of the parishes, of the towns to be present before the courts and to make a public manifestation of the demand for justice so that this does not remain invisible,” explained Monsignor Ruiz.
The memory of Juan López is also preserved through initiatives that recover his thoughts and writings. In spaces like “Café con Juan,” his poems and texts about the Gospel and the Honduran reality are shared. This effort is joined by the joint work with the Catholic University of Honduras to collect and publish part of his written legacy.
For Monsignor Ruiz, the demand for justice for Juan López transcends his murder and also reaches the defense of the Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park and those who protect the territory. His legacy, he pointed out, remains a collective cause in favor of life, dignity, justice, and the defense of the environment.
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