On Friday, official government spokesperson Roberto Rodr?guez asked for the public to exercise patience in order to give the Government?s Plan for Democratic Security a chance to work. Rodr?guez even went so far as to mention Cardinal Nicol?s de Jes?s L?pez Rodr?guez? appeal that the government ?act against the thieves without distinctions or privileges.? The spokesperson pointed out the efforts of ?Operation Paloma?, that sent 10,000 Police agents into one area of Santo Domingo and detained 3,816 people for investigation and sent 340 to the prosecutor?s office in the National District and the province of Santo Domingo for possible charges.
On Saturday, the Cardinal appeared on a special Fathers Day program on the Televida (Channel 41) and said, rather dramatically: ?Things need to be speeded up a bit with relation to the issue of violence, because the country has already put up with a lot? This is not an issue of patience. All well and good, but tell us, how much longer is it that we have to hang on to this patience, right? Because we have already shown a lot of patience.? The leader of the Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic was speaking on the program ?The Cardinal and Young People? broadcast by Channel 41, Televida.