Bishop Juan Arzube: "The fact that no one ever knows who commits the
Los Angeles Loyolan
■Volume 88, Number 18-
■Loyola Marymount University
-March. 3, 1981-
Bishop Arzube addresses
students on El Salvador
by Dennis Dlugos
Bishop Juan Arzube, auxiliary
bishop of Los Angeles, speaking
at LMU last Tuesday, called on
the United States government to
cease all military assistance to
the current government in Ei
Salvador and made . a similar
plea to any nations supplying
arms to the guerillas opposing
the government.
Arzube also requested the
United States to support
democratic elections, in El
Salvador and the persons
elected by that process.
The remarks were included in
Arzube’s lecture El Salvador and
the Church, which was
presented as part of the four-day
El Salvador solidarity sym¬
posium on campus.
Arzube, who is chairman of
the United States Bishops’ Latin
American Affairs Committee, in¬
dicated that the ruling junta in
the Latin American nation Js
likely responsible for most of
violence which has ravaged the
country.
“There have been at least-
10,000 killings in the past year,”
he said. “You would think that
they would have discovered so¬
meone responsible for at least
some . of those killings. The
reason they didn’t, in my opi¬
nion, is because the government
is involved.
“It is impossible to conceive
that if the government is not in¬
volved in some way in those
murders— whether it be through
agents, the police or the
military— they would have been
able to pinpoint someone
responsible for the deaths. The
fact that no one ever knows who
commits the murders, in my opi¬
nion at least, is because there is
some involvement of the govern¬
ment.”
Arzube referred to a report
compiled by three members of
Congress who recently traveled
to Honduras, which neighbors El
Salvador, to speak with Salvan-
doran refugees.
The report concluded that the
current government has very lit¬
tle support from the people and
is guilty of carrying out
systematic terrorism to remain
in power.
“Without exception,” the
reports notes, “The refugees
told that they fled the violence
of the El Salvadoran army,
which is being supported by the
United States.”
Arzube quoted from the
report, “One refugee told of how
soldiers one day sliced the
womb of a heavily pregnant
woman, removed the child and
kilted both mother and infant.
The testimony was unanimous
and almost endless. In each and
every testimony it seemed clear
that the military aid from the
U.S. was aiding in the killing and
torture of innocents.”
“According to the refugees,
all of the atrocities were the
work of right-wingers and not
the popularist guerillas,” Arzube
said.
Arzube traced the recent
history of El Salvador, stressing
the dominance of the military in
the nation’s affairs.
“In 1973, Napoleon Duarte
[the current president of the jun¬
ta] was a leader with a popular
following and by democratic
process he was elected presi¬
dent. But at that time the
military element did not favor
him and they did not allow him
to be installed. He was forced to
leave the country.
“In 1978, elections were once
again held in a so-called
democratic way. But that
doesn’t do any good because if
the one who wins is not the one
the army wants, out he goes.
That’s exactly what hap¬
pened— again. Major Rodzville
was the winner of the popular
vote. The military, however, gave
the victory to General Carlos
Romero.
“When «Rodzville went to
claim victory at the Plaza Liber-
tad in San Salvador, there was a
Bishop Juan Arzube, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, delivered a lecture on El Salvador and the Church last
Tuesday to a LMU audience of more than 250 students aind faculty. Arzube, who is chairman of the U.S. Bishops'
Latin American Affairs Committee, called on the U.S. government to stop all military assistance to El Salvador.
(Loyolan photo by Bob Elliott)
murders, in my opinion, is because there is some involvement of the
government/' (Loyolan photo by Bob Elliott)
public demonstration in his
•favor. The army sent troops
there and the crowd was dissolv¬
ed by bullets,” Arzube said.
The Los Angeles bishop also
cited a recent homily of Bishop
Arturo Rovera Damas, currently
acting-bishop in San Salvador,
who has called to on all nations
to stop interfering in the nation.
“I am pleading with our sister
nations in Centra America and
with our neighbor Cuba and the
United States not to meddle In
our affairs. We are capable of
finding the proper
solution....These solutions will
not result from military actions,
but from social reforms of a
structural -kind. Tools, not
weapons, are what the
Salvadorans should be using to
achieve the common good. We
do not need instruments of
death but tools for living,”
Damas said.
Arzube was introduced by Fer¬
nando Moreno, Director of the
Justice Issues Program at LMU.
Moreno commented on the
reasons for El Salvador solidari¬
ty week at Loyola. “We are doing
this as an institution of educa¬
tion. We have a responsibility, I
believe, to study those ques¬
tions which are before us in our
country and our society.
“We are doing this as
Catholics whohave watched an
Archbishop, four religious
women and approximately
12,000 fellow Christians put to
death.
“We are *doing this as
Americans. We have an obliga¬
tion as citizens to look at those
questions and decide for
ourselves and not simply to
follow what our government may
or may not choose to do,”
Moreno said.
Arzube concluded by saying:
“I am very definitely anti¬
communist. But I am also anti-
anything that is repressive, that
does not allow people to govern
themselves, that is killing off
anyone who doesn’t agree with
their opinion. And-that is, right
now, the present junta of El
Salvador.”
No sign of forced entry
$6500theftat LMU
Counseling Center
by Tara Wolverton
On the morning of February
10, 1881, approximately $6,500
worth of audio-visual equipment
was apparently stolen from the
LMU Counseling Center in
Malone 305.
Reported missing was a
Porta-Pack unit of a camera, a
Panasonic camera, a television,
receiver and power pack, and a
tripod.
A news blackout was re¬
quested after the incident to aid
in the investigation.
According to Bernice Russell,
Coordinator of Undergraduate
Placement, the equipment had
been stored under double-lock
security. Thus, possession of
two sets of keys plus a master
key to the Malone Student
Center was required to execute
the theft. There was no evidence
of forcible entry.
The equipment was an in¬
tegral part of the Counseling
Center’s job placement and
graduate school orientation pro¬
gram.
The service enabled
undergraduates to watch mock
interviews in preparation for ap¬
plication to ‘jobs and profes¬
sional schools. Also available
were tapes which simulated
working conditions in major
local companies.
“The services were very welt
used,” according to Russell,
“Especially among pre-med
students.”
Both Russell and Dr. Barry
Reister, Assistant Dean for
Counseling and Health Services,
emphasized the loss of student
services in addition to the
monetary loss.
“The students themselves will
be the ones who suffer the most
from the theft,” Reister said.
Russell added her regret at the
reduction of the “tangible
results”' produced by the
placement/orientation service.
A lengthy investigation and
shortage of funds have rendered
the replacement date for the
stolen equipment indefinite.
In the meantime, the Counsel¬
ing Center has looked to other
campus departments for
assistance. A camera has been
borrowed from the Communica¬
tion Arts Department, and some
phases of the program have
been temporarily set up in the
Learning Resource Center of the
library.
Reister warned further that
the difficulties in replacing the
equipment may result in
sacrificing the entire program.
“At present we don’t know how
long we wili be able to continue
the program. The support we
have received from other cam¬
pus organizations is admirable,
but there is a limit to the ad¬
justments that can be made
without a substantial loss of ef¬
ficiency.”
Harry Hueston, Director of
Security, said that the Los
Angeles Police Department has
been notified of the theft and a
detective is currently working on
the case.
“All the equipment with serial
numbers has been entered into
the National Crime Information
Center (NCIC),” said Hueston.
“Moreover, all local Sony and
Panasonic repair centers have
been nptified to watch for stolen
equipment coming in for
repairs.”
A reward of $500 is being of¬
fered for information leading to
the arrest and conviction of the
thief or thieves.
Authorities hope that legal ac¬
tion, along with student and
community support can help
solve this case and possibly pre¬
vent similar incidents in the
future.
