EUGENE, Oregon (CNS) — A Catholic bishop in western Honduras said members of the country’s wealthy elite were behind the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.
Bishop Luis Santos Villeda of Santa Rosa de Copan also said the country needs a dialogue between the elite and Honduras’ poor and working-class citizens.

“Some say Manuel Zelaya threatened democracy by proposing a constitutional assembly. But the poor of Honduras know that Zelaya raised the minimum salary.
That’s what they understand. They know he defended the poor by sharing money with mayors and small towns. That’s why they are out in the streets closing highways and protesting (to demand Zelaya’s return),” the bishop said.

He added that it is misleading to consider Honduras a democracy, either before or after the June 28 coup. “All we have is an electoral system where the people get to choose candidates imposed from above.”

Bishop Santos said those behind the coup are not advocates of democracy.

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