The Cut to the Chase version: please hold the trial of former Guatemalan military strongmand Efrain Rios Montt and a co-defendant in the Light. This is a domestic trial in Guatemala for crimes of genocide against indigenous communities and other crimes.
The fact that this trial is occurring in Guatemala in the context of the Guatemalan justice system is a remarkable moment of shining the light of justice on awful things from the nation's history.
Read on for specific links. RantWoman confesses: she reads as much now with her "Auntie" hat on as with anything like the ardor and insufferable passion of her youth. RantWoman is holding thoughts of what Brother in Law might be willing to go anywhere near in conversation and thoughts of what Irrepressible Nephew Really SHOULD Care About. RantWoman gets to hold the possibility that the biggest thing either of them might care about would be a desire perhaps to travel to Guate to see Irrepressible Nephew's Guatemalan abuela while she is still alive to see.
Of possibly less importance would be Rant family gratitude that the gods of holiday eating rituals have already smiled in such a way that Christ will be risen and Easter gets celebrated this year in family fractions. One fraction retires at home recovering from ongoing radiation therapy. One fraction is still open to Divine Leading. One fraction will happen with some important local Guatemalan connections and without the opportunity for RantWoman to cause conversational distress speaking of disturbing things: the new Pope and the Argentinian Dirty War as well as the Rios Montt trial. RantWoman is pretty sure RantMom's reaction to either theme would be "Oh RantWoman, must you?" or perhaps "Oh RantWoman, would you please translate....Oh, Must you?"
RantWoman spent a good portion of the 1980's walking around wearing buttons emblazoned with such moments of truthtelling as "Your taxes pay for torture, rape and murder in Central America." RantWoman is STILL just a walking,talking living breathing yucky topics festival. RantWoman recently vexed someone she thought might be able to be present in the conversation with a question about the trial of former Guatemalan military leader Efrain Rios Montt. RantWoman was blessed basically by an exhortation to figure it out her own darn self.
Here are some links from the world wide infoglut to get started.
http://www.as-coa.org/articles/rios-montt-case-guatemalas-landmark-genocide-trial-begins
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/03/2013323164622824769.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2013/0322/Checking-in-on-Guatemala-s-Rios-Montt-trial
If the news is too much, perhaps Julia Esquivel's poem "They have threatened us iwith resurrection" will suffice.
First in English
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2012/04/they-have-threatened-us-with.html
and in Spanish
http://bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-national-poetry-month-julia.html
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Apropos of history and dirty wars and renewal, shared practice of faith, RantWoman draws her readers' attention to this blog post from Mil Gracias
ReplyDeletehttp://nancyjthomas.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-friend-of-friend-of-pope.html
The post includes translation of an article aimed at evangelicals (Protestants....) in Argentina about newly elected Pope Francis. RantWoman is struck by the image of then Cardinal Bergoligio surrounded by and publicly being prayed for by representatives from multiple faiths.
RantWoman supposes it is entirely reasonable further to hold in the Light both Pope Francis and the Catholics who captioned a photo of this prayer circle "Apostate!"