The Salesian Society has publicly notified the expulsion from the religious order of priest Rogelio Cruz. Father Rogelio has made a name for himself campaigning for youths and the poor and against mining operations.
On 8 February 2018, Father Rogelio told the media that he had been ordered to move to Colombia for a three month course. Father Rogelio said he learned of the decision by reading it in the media.
The priest, who is based in La Vega, rejected to leave the country. He argued the order wanted to send him abroad to impede his social activism and anti-mining related to the Loma Miranda and San Juan de la Maguana proposed mining operations. He openly accused officers of the gold mines Barrick Gold and GoldQuest of having lobbied for his removal. He feared for his life where he was being sent to in Colombia.
“By Decree of the Rector Major and its General Council based in Rome, Fr. Ramón Rogelio Cruz Fermín has been separated from the Society of Saint Francis de Sales and released from his commitments, religious vows and any other links with the Salesian Society” says the statement.
The explanation given is that the decision is based on Canon 601 of the Code of Canon Law, which establishes that “the legitimate expulsion ceases ipso facto the votes, as well as the rights and obligations arising from the profession.”
Canon 601 establishes that “the evangelical counsel of obedience, undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in the following of Christ obedient unto death, requires the submission of the will to legitimate superiors, who stand in the place of God, when they command according to the proper constitutions. “
On Tueday, 11 June 2018, Father Rogelio had received the prestigious Atabey Award, for his individual contributions to the conservation of the environment.
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21 June 2018
