In response to the murder of environmental defender Juan Lopez in Honduras on September 15, the SHARE Foundation organized an emergency delegation to meet Juan’s family and community in the city of Tocoa from September 21-28. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns was represented on the delegation by Sarah Bueter, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in El Salvador. Sarah sent the following account of some of the activities of the delegation, written by another member of the delegation, Paul Finch.
September 23, 2024
We seven SHARE Foundation delegates from the United States arrived in Tocoa, Honduras, in the late afternoon of September 21 after a seven-hour drive through the lush, tropical countryside, ending with beautiful views of the misty mountains of the Carlos Escaleras National Park rising above the beloved community of Guapinol where many of us have been lovingly received by its defenders of water and life in recent years.
In the evening, we joined our Honduran sisters and brothers at the day’s novena ceremony (a nine-day ritual of prayer by family and community to grieve and send a deceased loved one on their way). There we shared loving greetings of hugs and tears with Juan’s spouse and younger daughter, members of the Tocoa Committee in Defense of Natural and Shared Resources, Juan’s organization that protests mining and hydro-electric projects in an effort to preserve tropical forests and rivers, and many people from the community in a crowd that overflowed out of the house into the front yard. I will not use names out of security concerns.
The prayer service, led by a lay person, friend of the family and companion of Juan, was inclusive, participatory, and focused on our collective loss of a great friend and leader of both a small family of four and a larger community that includes all of us. The Gospel reading was hard to swallow, as it was about loving and forgiving enemies, but people spoke up to make clear that forgiving doesn't mean forgetting nor ceasing to seek justice.
Today we sat in a circle with about 30 of Juan’s companions and partners in an open space at the San Alonso Foundation where we listened and talked for hours. We were led in meaningful songs of hope and struggle.
Father Carlos, the local parish priest, known for his commitment to accompanying the people and promoting the Gospel of a very present God of life, spoke about Bishop Henry Ruiz of nearby Trujillo, who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican a few days ago and presented the him with a photo of Juan, explaining the tragedy. Just yesterday, Pope Francis publicly condemned Juan’s murder, recognizing Juan as “a founding member of the pastoral care of integral ecology in Honduras.”
Father Carlos said that we are part of a broad solidarity, that is not limited to just one group in one place. One of the delegation members commented, “Solidarity is the tenderness shared between peoples that gives us the strength and hope to continue onward.”
Father Carlos also said there is a plan for Juan’s life and death to become known in all the parishes of the diocese. Others in the circle spoke about plans to teach about Juan’s life and work in the schools, along with ecological concepts of caring for the earth.
A close associate of Juan in his work to defend the community’s land and water from pollution by mining companies, said that Juan had no personal enemies, and that it is necessary to know who decided that Juan should die, who organized the plan, and who gave the final order to kill Juan. It would be incorrect to think only the local mayor is responsible for Juan’s death, Juan’s colleague said. “We are not talking about a simple matter. There are national and international forces at play here,” and that, “this cannot remain with impunity; there must be justice.”
Juan’s colleague also said that Juan’s death would only have meaning if the megaproject of the mines and related facilities were shut down, and the government revoked the permits. These projects include the largest ore processing facility in Central America. “With all the people murdered, with all the families uprooted from their homes, the rivers and the mountains themselves will disappear,” Juan’s colleague said.
Another close companion of Juan expressed fear for his own life, unconvinced that additional security measures would be capable of protecting him, his family, and others. He pointed out that the impunity given to criminals that commit murder in Honduras remains unchanged. He agonized over what would happen if he left the area, even temporarily. Who would carry on the work, he asked. “The insecurity and the pain affect us all; it is a hard blow, to the head and to the heart,” he said.
A fellow environmental activist also agonized over the question of leaving to escape the threat of violence, saying, “I have two daughters who I am not going to leave without a mother.” She said, “Xiomara [the president of Honduras] was going to be a lovely figure bringing change, but criminality continues here.” She also said, “Juan prepared the way for us, but we never imagined that he would be taken from us.”
The conversation continued, with hopeful messages interspersed with very difficult portrayals of the difficult reality in this remote part of northern Honduras.
It was striking and humbling to hear several people speak to the delegation from the United States about the importance of our solidarity, crediting us with helping to open doors to powerful international institutions that have been long closed (even if just a crack), with helping some of them to still be alive, and to believe that their cause of defending the water and the land can succeed. They also called upon us to seek to hold our own government into account as it sides with corporate interests more than with human rights and dignity, and that U.S. money invested in Honduras has great power.
There is much more that was shared there, and companions in the group have more clarity about certain things, but these are the parts that stood out for me. On September 24, we plan to visit the neighboring town of Guapinol, where two other environmental defenders against the iron ore mine were murdered in January 2023. The delegation plans to host a press conference there as their final action.
Some of the members of the delegations will remain to join the novena for more days of prayer, as well as participate in a prayerful procession through town and Catholic Mass to conclude the traditional days of mourning for our friend and companion Juan Lopez.
I am grateful for all of us, for all of you, for your love, commitment, and solidarity with our beloved sisters/brothers/companions in this land.
Paul Fitch
Tocoa, Colon department, Honduras
Photo of Juan Lopez displayed during the prayer novena in Tocoa, Honduras, September 23, 2024.