Evangelical churches organize ecumenical meeting on the environment in Gualeguaychú

ALC/CLAI, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, June 7, 2007
Even though the daily national news no longer continues to inform about what was called “the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay over the paper mills,” the consequences of the years of resistance in Gualeguaychú, on the Argentine side, and the location of the Botnia plant in Fray Bentos, on the Uruguayan side, are only now beginning to show themselves.
In a meeting on May 4, the regional office of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI in Spanish) and representatives of various Evangelical churches, decided to hold a gathering in Gualeguaychú so as to be able to accompany, reflect and offer follow-up attention to the situation being experienced in the zone.
On June 12 in the Congregational Church of Gualeguaychú, Uruguayan and Argentine church leaders will first dialogue among themselves, and then with representatives of different organizations, for bridge building, listening to and supporting the communities in each of the issues that this complex matter raises.
Pastor Juan Gattinoni, the Regional Secretary for CLAI, has confirmed the presence of representatives of the Evangelical Church of Río de la Plata (IERP in Spanish), the Federation of Evangelical Churches of Argentina (FAIE in Spanish), the Congregational Church, the Waldensian Evangelical Church of Río de la Plata (IEVRP in Spanish), the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina (IEMA in Spanish) and the Methodist Church of Uruguay (IMU in Spanish). It is expected that the Catholic bishops of Gualeguaychú and of Mercedes, Uruguay, will be present, they having already been invited.