february-2018

‘Yes to Life, No to Mining’
Last spring, El Salvador banned the
mining of gold and other metals—
thanks in no small part to the work
of the Catholic Church.
by JEFF ABBOTT
LAST APRIL, El Salvador became the first country
in the world to ban the mining of gold and other
metals. The action grew out of a decades-long
struggle to protect access to clean water and prevent
pollution caused by mining projects.
The Catholic Church played a central role in the
movement to end mining, which organized under
the slogan Si a la vida, no a la mineria (“Yes to life,
no to mining!”). An encyclical from Pope Francis
provided inspiration, and San Salvador’s archbishop
called on legislators to pass the anti-mining law,
which the church was integral in writing. For many,
it called to mind the actions of Archbishop Óscar
Romero in El Salvador’s civil war decades before.
‘To work for the mines is to work for death’
Beneath the jungles and mountains that stretch
from southern Mexico to Nicaragua lie untold
mineral riches. Over the last two decades, transnational
companies, drawn by the lack of regulation
and the promise of huge profits, have sought to
exploit these resources. But the rise of the extractive
industries has triggered intense social conflicts,
environmental destruction, and violence throughout
the region.
A demonstrator
protests mining
in El Salvador.
elsalvadorsolidarity.org
FEBRUARY 2018 sojourners 27