Zapatista Region Gets New Bishop

Pope John Paul II on Friday appointed a bishop widely hailed as a conciliator to head the Roman Catholic diocese in central Chiapas state, where his predecessor’s perceived support for the leftist Zapatista rebels generated frequent controversies.

Felipe Arizmendi, bishop of the smaller Tapachula diocese in the southern part of Chiapas, said, “I am not going to San Cristobal de las Casas to compete or destroy but to complement” the work of 75-year-old Bishop Samuel Ruiz, who is retiring after 40 years in the post.

Arizmendi also suggested that he will pursue Ruiz’s attempts to mediate between the government and rebels and resolve a standoff that has persisted since an armed Zapatista uprising in January 1994 that briefly captured the colonial town of San Cristobal de las Casas, the diocesan seat in the heart of Chiapas.

“In a dialogue and a negotiation, there has to be involvement of both sides,” Arizmendi told reporters. “Both the Zapatista army and the federal army have to reach certain accords so there can be a reconsideration of the military presence” in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state.

Supporters of Ruiz, whom Indians call “Tatic,” or Father, were bitterly disappointed in December when the Vatican chose not to name Ruiz’s loyal deputy, Bishop Raul Vera, as his successor. Vera had become as outspoken as Ruiz in defending the rights of the poor Indians of the Chiapas highlands--and in criticizing the government for neglecting the indigenous people’s interests.

Still, most supporters as well as foes of Ruiz appeared to welcome the choice of Arizmendi, not the least because of his reputation as a force for reconciliation.

Manuel Burguete Estrada, a town historian in San Cristobal and a frequent critic of Ruiz, said: “It is an excellent step for the pope to name Arizmendi, because he knows the ethnic groups of the highlands and the coast. He knows deeply the problems of Chiapas.”

In a telephone interview from Tapachula, Arizmendi minimized any differences between him and the feisty Ruiz, noting: “Don Samuel and I have one point of reference, which is Jesus Christ. We have common goals within our legitimate differences. It is a blessing that we are all different. But we have a heart united by the love of God.”

Ruiz was a highly effective organizer, creating networks of lay Catholic activists in the tiny villages that lace the steep hillsides of central Chiapas. Some critics alleged that those networks became the backbone of the Zapatista movement. Many people thought President Ernesto Zedillo was referring to Ruiz in 1998 when he criticized “theologians of violence.”

Skirmishes have occurred periodically in surrounding mountain villages since peace talks between the government and the Zapatistas broke down in 1996. The worst violence occurred Dec. 22, 1997, when pro-government paramilitary members massacred 45 unarmed pro-Zapatista peasants.

Ruiz also worked hard in recent years to ease tensions between Catholic and evangelical Protestant churches, which have multiplied in southern Mexico.

He was adored by the Maya Indians who fill the handsome yellow cathedral on the main square of San Cristobal.

Ruiz himself applauded Arizmendi’s appointment, saying: “With concrete actions he has expressed his brotherhood with us, walking in unity to respond to the destiny that the Lord God has delivered to our Chiapas.”

Arizmendi “has shown his face in very tough moments,” Ruiz added.

Asked if he is more conservative than Ruiz, Arizmendi replied: “To some people, one seems more to the right, to others more to the left. What matters is the evangelism and the doctrine of the church. We share these common goals that orient us.”

Beyond his work in Tapachula diocese, on the steamy southern Mexican coast near the Guatemalan border, Arizmendi has been active in the Mexican and Latin American bishops conferences. Last year, he was named secretary general of the Latin American Bishops Conference, a post he said he will leave so that he can concentrate fully on his new role in San Cristobal.

Arizmendi said he hopes to take up his new post May 1--his 60th birthday.

Ordained in 1963 and named bishop of Tapachula nine years ago, Arizmendi will be the 40th bishop of San Cristobal, a diocese founded in 1539. Ruiz was by far the longest-serving bishop.

In a sermon in January, Arizmendi made clear that any successor to Ruiz would need to follow church doctrine and take up the problems of the poor. “Whatever bishop goes there has the obligation of continuing the policy of giving priority to the poorest,” he said, “because that is not one person’s choice--it is obligatory for all bishops and all Christians.”