Project Description
In the fall of 2016, the government of El Salvador won a crucial legal dispute over the Canadian mining company Pacific Rim (now a subsidiary of OceanaGold). Seven years prior, the government had put a de facto moratorium on metallic mining, in attempt to salvage the country’s remaining fresh water and protect the health of its citizens. The move upset the mining company which had begun preparatory work on site in a northern region of the tiny Central American country. The legal victory of 2016 further empowered a growing anti-mining movement to demand a complete and permanent ban on metal mining across El Salvador. A key player in the struggle was the Catholic Church. Inspired by the publication of Laudato Si’ and the long-anticipated beatification of national icon Archbishop Óscar Romero, the Catholic Church took to the streets alongside the movement. In March 2017, led by the current Archbishop of San Salvador, they marched to the National Assembly demanding an immediate vote on specific legislation that would ban all metal mining…
