Walking the Walk with the Man of God

By Jay L. T. Breakstone

As I wait to hear that our team of lawyers in La Oroya are safely out of the Andes and sitting comfortably in Lima, I’m reviewing some of the hourly emails and Blackberry messages that have kept us all here on the edge of our seats. There are stories of danger, of having to travel with police protection, of seeing anger and confusion in the eyes of villagers who thought that they had to choose between their children and their livelihood. Of course, once they learned that wasn’t true, things calmed down a bit, but nerves are raw in the mining town of La Oroya and there is tension in the air.

Through all this, one man has stood tall. Monsignor Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the Archbishop of Huancayo. You might remember that it was he who brought the story of the lead poisoned children of La Oroya to the public’s attention. You might also recall that the first scientific study of the blood levels of the children was accomplished because Archbishop Barreto made it happen, bringing the first scientists up into the Andes to tell the world of the story of La Oroya. Even this time, he brought a group of Italian river experts up into the Andes to examine the river that turns through La Oroya.

On this trip, however, Archbishop Barreto has shown something else. Not just compassion, but the ability to back it up with strength. As reported in the pages of Peru’s newspapers and online news services, the Archbishop had to endure shouts and foul insults from people with ties to Doe Run; he had his path blocked by hooligans who try to prevent him from entering the Town Hall; he even had objects thrown at him by the protesters. In the face of all this, the Archbishop turned to the crowd and told them to listen to the lawyers, who had come to them; who had decided to speak directly to the villagers of La Oroya, because it wasn’t just a matter of money, but of justice and a respect for human rights.

Later that day, Monsignor Barreto explained. The Church, he said, has a responsibility to exercise its concern in the public arena, “to defend the land, water and air as gifts of God, the Creator for all.” Powerful words. But what impressed our team of lawyers most was that this morning, Archbishop Barreto headed back into La Oroya. Remember those Italian river scientists? They had been mistaken for our American lawyers and had been assaulted the day before. Their escape cutoff, they had spent the night in La Oroya, in hiding. Now, the Archbishop, like a sheriff in the Old West, was riding back into town to get them out.

And that’s just what he did. One man against the mob. The scientists had come at his invitation, to watch over the river that served his people, created by his God. Archbishop Barreto would not leave them there. That night, while sitting in his chambers in Huancayo, surrounded by the scientists and our seven lawyers, Archbishop Barreto joked. “You know,” he said to them, “I must be in Hell, because look at all the lawyers here!” They all laughed, like soldiers who had just come through a great battle together.

Our team of lawyers has left La Oroya, leaving behind paralegals and local attorneys on the ground who will talk to the mothers of the village who now quietly bring their children to them to be tested for the poison from Doe Run. Yet, they also leave behind a comrade, Archbishop Barreto. But that’s okay, because he’s not alone. He’s the priest who walks the walk, with God.