Santiago de los Caballeros.- Amidst the massive Corpus Christi celebration, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor Héctor Rafael Rodríguez, issued a strong warning this Thursday regarding the deterioration of social coexistence in the Dominican Republic, defining the violence affecting the country as “pathological,” which is reflected, among other manifestations, in the alarming number of femicides recorded during the year.
Before thousands of the faithful gathered for the main feast of the Catholic Church, the prelate expressed his concern for the more than 30 women who have lost their lives at the hands of their partners or ex-partners so far this year, a situation he considered evidence of deep social and emotional problems that require urgent attention.
Monsignor Rodríguez maintained that the worrying increase in psychological and emotional violence, coupled with the growing deterioration of mental health, constitutes an alarm signal for the entire Dominican society.
In that sense, he/she called for identifying the causes that originate these behaviors and for promoting a culture based on respect, mutual care, and comprehensive care for people.
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“The mental health problem must be addressed from its roots, seeking explanations and solutions to situations that are affecting the most sensitive fibers of our society,” stated the religious leader during his message.
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The statements were offered within the framework of the traditional solemnity of Corpus Christi, a celebration that brought together believers from different municipalities of the Santiago province in a massive demonstration of faith through the main streets of the City of the Heart.
The religious day began at 7:00 in the morning with a procession led by the Archdiocese of Santiago, which departed from the Santiago Apóstol el Mayor Cathedral to the Cibao Stadium, the venue where a solemn Eucharist was celebrated.
During the activity, the Church took advantage of the gathering of thousands of parishioners to issue a call for reflection on violence, femicides, and mental health, issues that, according to the archbishop, demand a collective response and concrete actions to preserve the dignity and lives of people.
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“I don’t want to talk only about the violence that comes through a gunshot or a weapon; we are seeing a violence that is becoming almost pathological, which has a lot to do with the deterioration of mental health,” he/she stated.
Monsignor Rodríguez maintained that many of the violent acts currently occurring in homes and communities require specialized attention and not solely judicial responses.
“It is not a violence that is necessarily solved with prison, but with mental health care,” he pointed out.
The archbishop described domestic violence as a national disgrace and lamented that its cruelest expression continues to be femicide, a phenomenon that, he said, continues to bleed numerous Dominican families.
