CPTnet
Dec. 20, 1999
CPTers and Abejas to Proclaim Jubilee in Chiapas

On December 28, CPT-Mexico and members of the Mayan pacifist group Las
Abejas (the Bees) plan an 8-hour procession through the highland county of
Chenalho to denounce the militarization of the area and proclaim the
biblical concept of Jubilee. Presbyterian and Catholic participation is
expected.

As the 20th century draws to a close, many Christians are embracing the
concept of Jubilee as a vision for the new millenium. When Jesus began his
ministry as recorded in Luke 4: 18-19, he referred to the prophetic words
of Leviticus (25:10) and Isaiah (61:1-3) which refer to the "acceptable
year of the Lord." This Jubilee Year was to be a time of celebration marked
by good news to the poor, freeing of captives, and returning of land to its
original owners. As the Year 2000 dawns many people are hoping that this
can be an opportunity for dramatic movement towards a world of justice and
peace. Church and secular legislative advocates are calling for a
forgiveness of international debt for poor countries, and the United
Nations has proclaimed a decade of nonviolence.

In the southeastern state of Chiapas, Mexico, the Mexican government
responded to the Jan. 1994 Zapatista uprising by sending a third of its
army (some 70,000 troops) into the state. In the small municipality of
Chenalho alone there are now over 15 military installations. For the
Abejas, many of whom have been displaced from their homes because of
military and paramilitary action, the presence of the army represents a
threat of violence. Both CPTers and Abejas consider that the returning of
soldiers to their homes - and returning the land they occupy to life-giving
enterprises such as farming - would be a first step toward peace in the
region. For this reason, the procession on December 28 is being planned.
Marchers will pause by one or more of the seven military camps that line
the main road in the 15 miles between Acteal and Chenalho Center where
they will perform symbolic actions and proclaim Jubilee.

December 28 is the day designated by the church as the Feast of the Holy
Innocents. It commemorates the baby boys murdered by King Herod's
instructions in the biblical account (Matt. 2:16-18.) This date is
appropriate for an action protesting violence in Chiapas, since Acteal
itself was the site of the brutal killing of 45 innocents - mostly women
and children -- in December 1997. It is generally recognized that
paramilitary groups such as those responsible for the massacre operate with
the knowledge and condoning of the Mexican military.

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