Pope Francis Calls for an End to the Violence in Peru

The political unrest in Peru has sparked violence all over the South American country. This came after former president Pedro Castillo was ousted from power, and new President Dina Boluarte was sworn in. Now, Pope Francis is calling for an end to the violence.

From the window of the Apostolic Palace and in front of 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff first spoke in Italian saying, "I invite (you) to pray so that the acts of violence cease in Peru."

Pope Francis is the first pope to hail from South America, being a native of Argentina and the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He added, "Violence extinguishes hope for a just solution to the problems."

He encouraged all sides in the issue to take up the path of dialogue among brothers in the same nation, "in full respect of human rights and of the rule of law."

He also joined the appeals from Peruvian bishops calling an end to the violence, switching to his native Spanish language saying, "No to violence, from whatever part it comes! No more deaths!"

Dozens More Injured in Latest Rounds of Protests in Peru

A few days before Pope Francis issued his plea for peace in Peru, dozens of people were injured in the latest round of violence in Peru, as protesters clashed with security forces in Lima.

Demonstrators reportedly threw bottles and stones at police, with fires burning around Lima, according to Reuters.

The government of Peru has now extended the state of emergency to six regions. It cuts down on some aspects of civil rights in an effort to quell the unrest in those regions.

Former President Pedro Castillo was ousted after trying to dissolve Congress when the country's lawmakers tried to impeach him. He gave himself up to the police and remained in custody, making his vice president, Dina Boluarte, the rightful leader of Peru after his unsuccessful coup attempt to stay in power.

However, Boluarte has been asked to resign by critics, sparking waves of protests across the country. While the violence in Peru had been mostly contained in the south of the country, it has already resulted in over 55 deaths, according to the Associated Press.

Peru Closes Down Machu Picchu Because of the Protests, Tourists Evacuated

The protests have been so big that the Peruvian government had to close Machu Picchu, the country's most popular tourist destination. The closure was announced on Saturday after another protester died in the latest violent crash between police and demonstrators.

The death happened in the town of Ilave in the south, and video footage has shown police shooting at the crowd of Indigenous demonstrators in the town square. The protesters responded by setting a local police station on fire, according to Al Jazeera News.

Demonstrators previously damaged the train tracks to Machu Picchu, and the Ministry of Culture stated that they are forced to close the Inca Trails Network and the tourist site "due to the social situation and to preserve the safety of visitors."

This left over 400 tourists stranded at the foot of Machu Picchu, in the town of Aguas Calientes. They pleaded to be evacuated until rescue teams arrived and later led them to safety.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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