Religious Persecution in Paraguay
THE inflammatory leaflets fluttered down from the sky. A blizzard of paper covered the area of priest Ascencio Ayala’s church. The country folk in the vicinity of the town of Itá curiously reached for a leaflet. The leaflet-dropping airplane flew off, having done its part in a recent instance of religious persecution in Paraguay.
Written by the parish priest, the leaflets told readers: “Friday, March 1, 1957, at 5:30 p.m. in front of the church there will be a great concentration of all Catholic Christians from the city and districts. . . . At 6:30 an overwhelming manifestation of Catholics in repudiation of ‘Jehovah’s (false) Witnesses.’ The Protestant heretics have no right to have any assembly whatever in Itá.”
But long before these leaflets fluttered down from the sky under priestly sponsoring, Jehovah’s witnesses had made legal arrangements for a Christian assembly in Itá, a town about thirty-five miles from Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion. The local congregation had desired the assembly for the benefit of the many persons of good will in the town. So Jehovah’s witnesses made request for the use of the municipal swimming pool area for the assembly site. Itá city authorities agreed to this, and police headquarters in Asuncion granted a permit for the assembly. Everything had been complied with legally. Jehovah’s witnesses had indeed a right to assemble in Itá.
The witnesses began to arrive in Itá from many localities for their assembly. Word of the priest’s spiteful action caused the Christian group to set up their assembly in the home of one of the witnesses, which was being used as the local Kingdom Hall. The assembly began with a meeting designed to increase their proficiency in preaching the good news of God’s kingdom.
Two blocks away a crowd of more than a thousand persons had gathered in front of the church. The priest came out to lead the flock. The priest’s discourse began as a tirade; it turned into an inflammatory speech to stir up the mob to commit violence against the assembled witnesses.
As the priest spoke the crowd grew more agitated by the minute. At this moment an off-duty second lieutenant of the Paraguayan air force, Solano Gamarra, approached priest Ayala. Air force officer Gamarra, realizing that the priest was directing things, tried to calm him down. He also spoke to the priest’s adjutants, hoping thereby to prevent mob action. But the air force officer’s counsel was not wanted. So furious was a fellow priest of Ayala that he struck the lieutenant a blow and gashed his lip. This priestly example inflamed the crowd. They surged forward, grabbed the air force officer and beat him, inflicting gaping wounds on his scalp. Tearing off his shirt from his back, they hoisted it on a pole to burn it. Shirtless Gamarra fled for his life.
The crowd was now an unreasoning, savage mob. Some shouted “¡Abajo Jehová!” (Down with Jehovah!) Others shouted “¡Muera Jehová!” (May Jehovah die!) The frenzied mob surged toward the Kingdom Hall assembly. The mob had swelled to nearly 2,000. They came like wild animals against sixty peace-abiding Christian witnesses of Jehovah. As the mob surged toward the hall light police protection melted. Inside the hall the program continued. During the meeting the mob outside seethed, erupting continually with outbursts of uncouth speech. The Kingdom Hall was now surrounded by a sea of turbulent humanity. To prevent the mobsters from breaking in the Christian ministers barricaded the doors from the inside and continued their meeting. They were learning the importance of considering each day a text from the Bible—a Book entirely unknown to the shouting, lurching, wild-eyed crowd outside.
The mob made repeated attempts to break into the hall. They failed. The mob began to disperse into smaller groups, remaining for most of the night in the vicinity, as if waiting for some unwary victim to emerge. Finally the guards again took their station in front of the doorway. They would permit no one to leave, but they would allow the mob to seek entry! What a way to protect the dozens of women and children inside! The Christian witnesses of Jehovah remained inside overnight.
By next morning the news had reached Asunción. The police there reaffirmed the right of the witnesses to meet at the originally contracted swimming pool site, but they stated that protection was up to the comisario, a local police official. When the witnesses approached this official, he stated that he was not equipped to handle the situation. Later, he informed the witnesses that the assembly had been suspended by the Asuncion police headquarters and that there was word that the mob planned to return again that evening. The assembly was then transferred to the Asuncion headquarters of Jehovah’s witnesses. The conventioners secured a chartered bus and left the town singing happily, even as they passed the Catholic church on their way out.
This example of religious persecution happened in a country that has a well-framed constitution. It is an outstanding document for those who wish to comply with it and preserve tranquillity in the country. It is to the credit of Paraguay that in March, 1957, circulars were sent to all the Civil Delegates in each of the country’s sixteen departamentos (somewhat similar to states). The circulars carried the mandate that the Civil Delegates keep the peace and preserve the rights of the non-Catholic minorities within their zones.
Priest Ayala had accused the Christian ministers of Jehovah as being “false” witnesses. But was his action in agitating a crowd proof that he was a true witness? Do true witnesses of Jehovah stir up mobs, or do they preach the Bible? Were any of that priest-inspired mob truly witnesses of Jehovah when they shouted “Down with Jehovah!”? Who showed themselves as being witnesses for Jehovah by peacefully congregating to consider God’s Word? This the reader may easily judge.