Some food for thought and inspiration Father Grégoire.

Words of great wisdom by Fernando Lugo, the first 'different' president of Paraguay, aka 'The Good', 'The Bishop of the Poor' and 'The Red Bishop':

From the church I started helping the most disadvantaged. I think that is one of the reasons why the people gave me their vote of confidence. Most of all, I think they placed their vision, their desire for change, on me. And I don't want to let them down. I believe that the credibility I have shown is what made the people reply with so much love, appreciation and affection.

First, I want to tidy up the house. Here in Paraguay we have chaos. There are things that make one want to cry. For ages we have been giving the impression of not being a serious country. We have to change that. We have to show all citizens how the country really is. Transparency and honesty will be two of the fundamental characteristics of what I want to do. And the change will be to clean the face and the interior of the country. For Paraguay to recover its dignity as a nation, to be credible as a country, we have to erase the stigma of being a pirate country, a country of traffickers, a corrupt country.

Bad administration and corruption have grown strong roots and are widely developed in our society. Poverty in Paraguay is another clear stigma. Paraguay has not been giving opportunities and equity to people so they can show their potential.

We have to create conditions for more solidarity, more equality. I strongly believe Paraguay is a rich country with many poor. And that is simply scandalous. I strongly believe that in Paraguay we can no longer avoid starting a process of agrarian reform. Land tenancy here is scandalous. We need to start a proper development plan that will help all Paraguayans.

When I was elected president, Bolivia’s president [Evo Morales] welcomed me to the "axis of evil". I always asked where that expression came from. I do believe there is no such "axis of evil" but simply countries that have been labelled like that, countries that simply want the best for their people, for the people that have been excluded for so long. So we are going to be part of those progressive governments that always go for the benefit of their people.

I want a serious country. If we want a serious country we will then, regionally speaking, have to follow Uruguay and Chile closely. I want a country with big development, with equality, so then we will have to follow Brazil closely in that great search. I want a country that is respected in its sovereignty, then maybe we will be close to Venezuela or Bolivia or Ecuador. I will have to take into consideration the positive points other Latin American leaders have. But we re-affirm that we want to have our own process, and there will be elements that will differentiate me from other Latin American leaders. But I am sure I will coincide in many elements. This is our process and we will do it ourselves, from the inside but with the justice and solidarity of other countries.

I became a priest in the late 1970s and served as a missionary in Ecuador and there I embraced "liberation theology" and its focus on the poor. Yet, despite Rome's suspicion of what for some was viewed as a subversive movement, I slowly moved up the hierarchy to become a bishop in 1994. In my 11 years as bishop of San Pedro [central Paraguay], I worked closely with peasant movements. Gradually, though, I came to feel that I could change more as a politician. But I was and still am a member of the Catholic church.

A lot of disinformation or simply lack of information makes people think I am not part of the church any longer. I feel that, more than ever, I belong to this church. Today, with a new role, as a laic, but the pope himself recommended me never to abandon the faith in which I was formed, and less so the evangelic values. I take those words to heart. I will still be inside the church and inside the framework of a church that is a community, that speaks out the values of the kingdom of God.

Before I felt there were lot of constrictions and due to various situations my decision to get into politics was a process in which the citizens themselves asked me to jump into a more political role. I do believe the church does an excellent job, an evangelical mission, but if we are pushing for change that is not enough. We have to take the unfair structures of society and push for change from there in order to start a change in the whole of society. The liberation theology is an element of my formation. But it is not all. There's also a philosophical, political, sociological formation in me. Human sciences put the human being at the centre and that has an influence on my relationship with people. And we are going to do this now from the presidency.

Without doubt it is possible to resurrect a country like Paraguay. We are people of hope, of faith, and I won't be the one killing that hope of the people. I do believe we will resurrect this country, a country deeply drowned in misery, poverty and discrimination. Because I do believe Paraguay could be different. I do not lack faith in this flock. Where there is a scream coming from the poor people, where there is sweat, where people are shoeless, we will be there. Because in such people there is a resurrection; if that exists there, then there is resurrection for Paraguay. Here there is a Guaraní [indigenous person] saying: "The padre has spoken, and so be it."