Friday 29 August
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Condemned
Priest Will
Continue His Radio
Prayer Program From Jail
After Being Cut Off Thursday
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|
Condemned Priest
Will
Continue His Radio
Prayer Program From Jail
After Being Cut Off Thursday
Padre Minor de Jesús
Calvo, the Catholic
church priest who is
behind bars for fraud,
is back on the air,
transmitting live from
the San Sebastián jail
and aired on Radio
Centro.
The priest was on the
air on Thursday for 11
minutes before he had to
sign off when the
Ministerio de Justicia
(Justice ministry)
prohibited the the
broadcast, upsetting
thousands of listeners
who called in to the
radio station to
complain
Callers jammed the radio
station's telephone
lines, asking for an
explanation of why Padre
Minor was cut off and
praying for the priest,
including callers
weeping for the show to
be continues, according
to the station manager.
Rónald Hernández,
general manager of Radio
Centro, added that the
station has been
receiving calls for days
asking when padre Minor
would be back on the air
in anticipation of the "Jesús
Vive" show that the
Catholic priest would be
airing.
Thursday's show began
with a padre Minor
thanking his listeners,
followed by his first
thought which was
Corinthians and the
abruptly pulled off the
air. Twenty minutes
later, the priest
explained that the
"police", then
explaining that the
prison authorities had
pulled the plug on the
program and made an
appeal to Justice
minister, Laura
Chinchilla, who is also
Costa Rica's
vice-president.
"I say to doña Laura,
with all the respect,
that the people want
this show, they want to
pray, and I know that
the public will be
asking the Ministerio de
Justicia to allow us
room for prayer. That
she is focused in faith,
that she demonstrate her
warmth to allow the show
to continue and that
some good can come out
of this penal centre",
said padre Minor as
inmates could be heard
applauding him in the
background.
Minor said that if her
were to turn his back on
the show, he would not
only be disobeying God,
but giving authorities a
reason which they do not
have, adding that he is
prepared to file an
appeal - a writ of
habeas corpus - to be
able to exercise his
constitutional right.
Padre Minor was clear
that he has the
constitutional right,
like the other inmates,
to use the telephone
from where he airs his
show.
The priest is being
supported by the other
inmates who signed a
petition and sent to the
Dirección de Adaptación
Social.
For her part, minister
Chinchilla, did not
offer any comment or
explain her reasons for
cutting the show from
the air.
The Catholic church is
not happy with the
program that is being
offered by padre Minor.
Monseñor Hugo Barrantes,
the archbishop of San
José, said that he
supports the decision by
the Justice minister and
will be respectful of
any other decision and
was clear that he has
not spoken to
authorities about the
situation, finding out
about the show from the
media.
Barrantes was clear that
padre Minor has not
asked him for permission
and if asked he would
have told the priest
that the show would not
be a good idea.
Padre Minor was
sentenced for fraud
involving the finances
of Radio María, a
religious radio station
where the priest aired
his programs and views.
Barrantes said that it
is highly inconvenient
that the Minor be
allowed to handle
funding for his new
program, given his
history.
Barrantes explained that
he will be probably be
visiting padre Minor in
the coming days, as he
(Minor) continues to
still be an ordained
priest of the Catholic
church and will be so
until his sentence is
ratified by the higher
courts as the Catholic
church has yet to begin
the process of his
removal from the
priesthood.
Although Thursday's
transmission was cut,
padre Minor is expected
today to continue with
the program and without
any problems from jail
authorities of the
Justice ministry. |
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Dennis Castillo is at the
controls of Radio Centro who is airing the padre Minor
program from the San Sebastián jail. The Catholic church
priest who is jail for fraud says he has the right, like
any other prisoner, to use the phone and air his show. |
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