Pope wants Bolivia to explain bombing of cardinal's residence

[Judi Lynn]

Pope wants Bolivia to explain bombing of cardinal's residence
April 28, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has asked for an explanation from Bolivian government officials for the April 15 bombing attack on the home of Cardinal Julio Terrazas Sandoval. The Pope's message, conveyed to the Bolivian government by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, decried violent acts "committed with the sole intention of harming, damaging or intimidating others." Bolivian officials have not yet established responsibility for the bombing-- which took place while the cardinal was away from home, and caused no injuries. Cardinal Terrazas is president to the country's episcopal conference, which has frequently been at odds with President Evo Morales, and the Bolivian bishops have received threats from government supporters.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=2754



Well, it figures, doesn't it? The Croats there are Catholic. Clearly rich Croat Catholics have more pull with the Church than a mostly Indian population, now.

[EFerrari]

1. There was another similar bombing of a government official

at about the same time, wasn't there? This one was only one in a series.

This is the worst pope in living memory. He's like the George Bush of the Catholic Church.

[Judi Lynn]

2. I just took a quick look, and only see one. Here's an article reported in Moldava,

which I checked, is composed of mostly Romanians, and I recall one of the alleged killers is Romanian. Odd.

Bomb damages Bolivian cardinal's home

April 15, 2009

Authorities in Bolivia say they don't know why someone set off a bomb outside the home of a Roman Catholic cardinal early Wednesday.

No one was hurt in the blast at the home of Cardinal Julio Terrazas and there was only minor damage, CNN said, citing Bolivian media reports.

Terrazas, 73, wasn't at the residence at the time.

CNN said the church has been a target in the past of harsh criticism from Bolivian President Evo Morales, who Tuesday won approval from the National Congress to run for re-election. Morales has accused the church of blocking reforms.

http://politicom.moldova.org/news/bomb-damages-bolivian-cardinals-home-196738-eng.html

Clearly the government didn't do it, and there have been no acts of terrorism by the native population, but we do know what group HAS been constantly involved in terrorism in Bolivia, don't we?

http://upload.wikimedia.org.nyud.net:8090/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Santa_Cruz_de_la_Sierra_-_Union_Juvenil_Cruce%C3%B1ista_durante_el_paro_c%C3%ADvico_de_agosto_de_2007.jpg/300px-Santa_Cruz_de_la_Sierra_-_Union_Juvenil_Cruce%C3%B1ista_durante_el_paro_c%C3%ADvico_de_agosto_de_2007.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/3076/2404048352_29df4cb7ce.jpg http://www.stratfor.com.nyud.net:8090/files/mmf/0/f/0f8eac6a9e5b83d9612f043367661023241c95cb_two_column.jpg

http://colectivoboliviano.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2008/09/campesinos-muertos-en-pando-11-septiembre1.jpg

[EFerrari]

3. I read about the bombings in one of the earliest articles about (Edit)

the latest plot. It said the police believed the assassins where tied to them. The bishop was one and the other was a government official whose position I couldn't translate -- maybe something like the Dept of the Interior but can't swear to it. If I find it, I'll post the link.


Ha -- here it is:

As of April 21, Fardig Astorga and Toaso had admitted to the bombings of Terrazas’ home and the home of Vice Minister of Autonomies Saul Avalos March 29, according to Government Minister Alfredo Rada.


http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/global/latin/43379162.html

[Judi Lynn]

4. Damn. This is a great article. So the two men they took to jail confessed already.

Very interesting.

The Pope's looking in the wrong direction if he demands the Bolivian government do any explaining regarding this bombing.
He needs to take it up with THE BOMBERS.

Thanks for locating this article. I only wish we had more like it!

I just realized, if the Pope wants to know who bombed the Cardinal's house, he really needs to consult Álvaro Uribe, so he can consult the magical laptops. No doubt he'll find that FARCs masterminded this.

[struggle4progress]

5. Mysterious International Mercenary Cell Uncovered in Bolivia

Last month, the Bolivian government expelled .. a senior “diplomat” from the US embassy in La Paz, whom it accused of covertly supporting efforts .. to depose the country’s leftist president, Evo Morales. This past week, Bolivian authorities announced they had foiled operations by a major international anti-government mercenary group operating out of the city of Santa Cruz, a hotbed of anti-government activity in the country’s wealthy eastern provinces. Three of the unit’s members, a Bolivian of Croatian descent, an Irishman and a Romanian, were killed by Bolivian security forces; two others, a Hungarian and another Bolivian of Croatian descent, were captured and are now in custody ... Last Thursday, Bolivian security officials investigating the recent bombing .. attack on the house of Catholic cardinal Julio Terrazas, were led to Santa Cruz’s luxury Hotel Las Americas, where the five alleged mercenaries were reportedly staying. Elite Bolivian security forces conducted a pre-dawn raid at the hotel and killed .. three of the five suspects in the ensuing 30′ shootout. Bolivian security agents, who searched the hotel room following the raid, said .. they found “a cache of weapons and ammunition, including several cylinders of C-4″ high-power explosive. Their findings also led them to a separate storage unit in the city’s fairgrounds, where they uncovered several pounds of explosives and numerous assault rifles. The chief of Bolivia’s police, General Victor Hugo Escobar, said late on Thursday that all of the uncovered weapons and explosives appeared to originate from outside the country ... http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2009/04/21/mysterious-international-mercenary-cell-uncovered-in-bolivia/


POLITICS-BOLIVIA: Unraveling the Conspiracy
LA PAZ, Apr 24 (IPS) - The dismantling of a commando made up mainly of men described by the Bolivian government as foreign mercenaries could lead authorities to the people who organised around a dozen different attacks carried out since 2006 in the city of Santa Cruz. Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García Linera said the attacks were aimed at destabilising the lefting government of Evo Morales and were to culminate in the assassination of the president. He said business leaders and landowners in the eastern province of Santa Cruz were financing the clandestine operations by the five alleged terrorists, three of whom were shot and killed by the police. The vice president said some of the businessmen and landowners backed such action of their own accord, and that others did so under pressure ... http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8804:politics-bolivia-unraveling-the-conspiracy&catid=71:world-news