Foto Archive: Monsignor Luis Escobar Alas
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Catholic Church in El Salvador will formally present thousands of collected signatures to the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, March 18, in a bid to repeal the recently enacted General Law on Metallic Mining.
Archbishop of San Salvador José Luis Escobar Alas announced the submission during a press conference on Sunday, stating the effort is part of a peaceful initiative led by the Episcopal Conference of El Salvador.
The archbishop stressed that the event is not a political act but a “pastoral action” intended to protect “the good of the people, especially the most vulnerable.”
“We will not march,” Escobar Alas said in a video published by Catholic television. “We will go directly to the window of the Assembly to hand over the signatures—not through any representative, but directly at the Assembly’s window.”
The Church began collecting signatures in January 2025, mobilizing bishops, priests, religious orders, and people across the country.
The Salvadoran Catholic Church launched the signature collection campaign in response to the December 23 approval of the mining law, which passed with 57 votes—54 from Nuevas Ideas, two from the PCN, and one from the PDC.
This is a pastoral action we undertake without any partisan political or ideological interests, nor due to the interests of powerful groups. We are motivated solely by the good of the people, especially the good of the most vulnerable. Monsignor Luis Escobar Alas.
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The Metallic Mining law has sparked concern among environmental and faith-based organizations, which warn of potential damage to communities and ecosystems in areas such as Chalatenango and Cabañas.
“Our only interest is to safeguard life and creation,” stated Monsignor Alas. “This is not about politics—it is about conscience and care for our common home.”
To sum up, the Salvadoran Catholic Church seeks the law’s repeal to protect vulnerable communities, safeguard natural resources, and prevent environmental degradation from mining activities that threaten life and public well-being.
