12:26 | Puerto Maldonado (Madre de Dios region), Jan. 19.
An indigenous couple spoke on behalf of aboriginal peoples at the meeting they held with His Holiness Pope Francis in the Peruvian Amazon city of Puerto Maldonado on Friday.
In her speech at Madre de Dios Coliseum, the
indigenous peoples' representative claimed that Amazonian indigenous communities in Peru have survived several cruelties and experienced exploitation of their natural resources, too.
"Many foreigners invade our territories: illegal miners,
loggers, and oil companies. They enter our territories without permission to exploit and extract while poisoning our resources," she stated.
"Today, we ask that you defend us. Foreigners see us weak and insist on depriving us of our territories. We are going to disappear if they manage to do so. We want our children to have access and our culture to be respected," she addressed the Pope.
Once the
meeting was over, the Holy Father rode on his
Popemobile to greet the crowds gathered in the streets.
(END) MAO/RMB/MVB
Published: 1/19/2018