In English: A Secular State for Peru
Anthopologist Rodrigo Montoya, professor of the Peruvian National University Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) Post Graduate School spoke on the necessity of "A Secular State for Peru" at the ADUNI Cultural Centre (CECAD) in Lima last August 28, 7 pm.
Professor Montoya mentioned among other things that there are native religions besides Chistian groups in Peru. So it is a symptom of intolerance and a lack of respect do not consider them and at the same time to give privileges only to Catholic faith.
In fact Peruvian Catholic Church jerarchy recieves salaries from Peruvian State through the Secretariat of Justice. That is because a quasi secret Concordate signed between the Papal Nuncio -or Vatican Ambassador- in Peru and General Morales Bermúdez as in-fact President of Peru during his last days government -on July 19, 1980. For instance the Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Chief of the Peruvian Catholic Church gains per month about US $ 10.000 as much as a Peruvian State Secretary. And we know he -and the rest of priests including the Pope himself- has done poverty votes.
By the other part Catholic doctrines are taught in Public schools through the Religion course in spite of the different Peruvian cultures and religions. Also Dr. Montoya said Religion has as one of its functions to console people´s pain and to give support to people in critical situations and then non-religious people is "alone" and should have a great energy to face life´s adversities.
Also San Marcos Pedagogical Institute´s teachers of Philosophy and Religion José López and Luis Solís -the last one of the founders of the before named Peruvian Non-Religious Movement-.
Near 600 people fulled CECAD´s main auditorium and another hall -regrettably many people could not enteer-. They could see and listen to Dr. Montoya not only in person but also through a TV closed-circuit.
The same lecturer Montoya thought that only so few people would listen to his speech -"I believed there would be only 4 cats and 5 with me!" said as a joke because there is a Catholic majority in Peru who is indifferent or ignorant of the below critical information-.
Most of attendeés were the same students of the ADUNI Pre-College Academy who showed a great interest in the topic. They ask to get more information or to be members of the now called Peruvian Non-Religious Movement (MPHA) -www.oocities.org/mpha- that organizes this kind of lecturers. MPHA has as one of their main goals to unite to non-believers of Peru who according to the last 2 National Census are growing.
MPHA´s September Lecture on Jesus´s existence was given by UNMSM´s Physicist Luis Del Castillo also at CECAD.
and MPHA´s October Lecture on Religion and Sex, also with free access, was given by both expert in Sexology and Spanish Language and freethinker Marco Aurelio Denegri to more than 1,000 young people in ADUNI´s San Marcos Paedagogical Institute.
