Development and Peace is welcoming Bishop Jorge Izaguirre, Bishop of Chosica, Peru who will speak about social change and the work being done by relief workers in his country.
Bishop Izaguirre will talk about the situation in Peru, and the the Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social (CEAS), which leads a pastoral social movement that consolidates justice, democracy, participation and the common good while promoting and defending human rights. Bishop Izaguirre is the president of CEAS.
Bishop Izaguirre comes to Canada with a serious message and warning for Canada.
Peru may not be in an economic debt crisis, but it is an ecological debt crisis. To build its economy, and to avoid having to take on external debt, the country has turned to extractive industries. This has serious consequences on the health of entire communities and the environment.
Development and Peace is joining Caritas Internationalis’ campaign Turn Debt into Hope along with many other faith-based and civil society organisations to prioritize people and planet over mere profit.
Peruvian people have been advocating for justice in communities that are deeply impacted by the mining practices of Canadian mines. Mining activities severely damage their land and water, leading to hardship, illness, and even death, particularly among the women and children.
Bishop Izaguirre wrote in 2022 that the Peruvian bishops’ conference “demands that Canadian miners and the Canadian government come up with a system that prevents reckless investment that steamrolls over Indigenous and peasant communities.”
“We consider it essential that countries move from voluntary compliance regimes towards adopting the UN Human Rights Council’s proposed legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and human rights,” Bishop Izaguirre told the Catholic Register newspaper
Bishop Izaguirre is on a tour of Western Canada on March 24-April 7. While in Edmonton on March 27, he will meet with Archbishop Smith and concelebrate Mass at St. Joseph’s Basilica at 5:30 p.m. A reception and presentation will follow.
On March 28, Bishop Izaguirre will head to Yellowknife, Grande Prairie and then Calgary before he returns to Peru on April 7.
Development and Peace partners — the Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social (CEAS, Episcopal Commission for Social Action) and the Institut Bartolomé de Las Casas (IBC) – work with several peasant and Indigenous communities affected by the mining and oil industries.
Bishop Izaguirre’s eight years as Bishop of Chuquibamba have been marked by his closeness to the people and synodal leadership. He has started several pastoral initiatives, especially with young people.
In the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, Bishop Izaguirre has served in various roles, including Bishop of Prison Ministry, President of the Episcopal Commission for Social Action and Human Mobility (2017-2025), member of the Board of Caritas of Peru, and member of the Episcopal Commissions for the Protection of Minors and for Consecrated Life.