In the waning days of Guatemala’s 36 year civil war, the Guatemala Archbishop’s Human Rights Office organized a project called the Recuperation of Historical Memory (known by its Spanish acronym: REMHI). This initiative trained priests and nuns as well as laypeople to receive and document the testimonies of the Guatemalans in every parish across the country. Thousands of vicitims of the atrocities and massacres finally had the opportunity to tell of their experiences. Many spoke of their torture or the loss of loved ones for the first time, an important first step in the long road to healing and reconciliation. The parish of Tierra Nueva II, our sister parish, was very active in this project.

The REHMI project’s findings were presented to the public two years ago in a report called NUNCA MAS (Never Again). After compiling all of the testimonies, the Guatemalan army was found responsible for 89% of the human rights abuses while the Guatemalan rebels (URNG) were guilty of the remainder.

Within 48 hours of presenting the NUNCA MAS report, the project’s director Bishop Gerardi was brutally murdered at his home in Guatemala City. Two years later, despite overwhelming evidence linking specific army officials to the crime, his killers go unpunished.

The war is over, a treaty has been signed, but for the people of Guatemala, the nightmare continues. There is no peace and there is no justice.

This year’s theme is a message of solidarity with the people of Guatemala and a tribute to the Guatemalan Archbishop’s Human Rights Office project called the Recuperation of Historical Memory (REMHI is its Spanish acronym).