Catholic press muzzled for criticising_government policies

Jesuit victim of lawlessness in Guyana
FR GERALD Cooney — pictured right — is the latest Jesuit to fall victim to lawlessness or political violence in the South American republic of Guyana.
Fr Cooney was found dead in the presbytery at Buxton on September 2. He was bound hand and foot and was evidently the victim of robbers. His funeral was held on September 7, 29 years to the day since he first came as a missionary to Guyana.
Fr Cooney's photograph was taken by Fr Bernard Darke, who acted as a photographer for the newspaper. the Catholic Standard. Fr Darke was murdered by extremist supporters of the government in the streets of the capital, Georgetown, in the July 1979. His murder was caught on photographs published in the Herald.
Since then the Catholic Standard, in common with the only other newspaper not controlled by the government, the Mirror, has fallen foul of state paper restrictions. Even when a donation of newsprint was offered by the Papal delegate to the Antilles, involving no foreign currency exchange, the government refused permission for an import licence. The newspaper has been reduced to printing a reduced format edition on salvaged scraps of torn left overs of newsprint.
Fr Cooney's funeral, in the Cathedral in Georgetown, was attended by more than 1,500 people including the Anglican bishop and the moderator of the presbytery of Guyana.
Both these churches have joined with the Catholic Church in refusing to keep silent on social and political issues which might embarrass the government.
Fr Ben Parrott Si, assistant priest in La Penitence, reports in the current issue of Jesuit Missions that there has been a steady erosion of democratic processes in Guyana in recent years.
"Three or four member churches of the Guyana Council of Churches, or at least their leaders, are biased in favour of the government and ruling party, and are unwilling to vote on public or official statements of the GCC which are critical of the government," he says.
He sees the Catholic Church as the leader in witnessing to the prophetic role of Christians. It is supported by the Anglican, Presbytery of Guyana (Scots), Guyana Presbyterian (Canadian) and Moravian churches.