Memory of Dorothy Stang: 20 years after her tragic death

Memory of Dorothy Stang: 20 years after her tragic death

Anapu, Brasilien - Brasilia, February 12, 2025 (Cape) - Today the world of the brave religious Dorothy Stang, which was murdered in a tragic way on February 12, 2005. A commemoration of Bishop Erwin Kräutler took place on her grave in the Brazilian city of Anapu, which is located in the state of Pará. The annual “Dorothy-Stang-Day” is also celebrated in your home country. Stang, who was born in Ohio in 1931, was committed to the rights of the rural and protection of the rainforest for all times. Your life's work is closely linked to the fight against illegal deforestation and the disregard for the land rights of small farmers. This led to numerous conflicts with large landowners and wooden fellers who saw their commitment as a threat, such as kathpress.at reported.

use for justice and sustainability

The day of her murder, when she was shot by order murderers at the age of 73, remains in the memory. Witnesses report that she read a sentence from the Sermon on the Mount for her murderers before she fell. Despite judicial convictions of the murderers and their clients, many remained completely released, and the struggle for land rights continues to take on dramatic proportions. According to information from the Publica agency, the proportion of PDS areas occupied by the agricultural industry between 2005 and 2023 increased. In addition, at least 21 other people have been killed in land conflicts in Anapu since 2005, the names of which are engraved into the Stang memorial.

The resistance to land robbery and the destruction of the Amazon area continues, even if the forms of violence have changed. Local activists and clergymen who want to continue Stang's legacy are increasingly exposed to threats and intimidation. A murals in Anapu, the Stang and her work as a symbol of hope shows, is also the focus of a dispute, since it was repeatedly questioned, but recently had to be made publicly visible again, as Bishop Kräutler announced. In the academic world, too, your memory is retained, which includes a lecture at the University of Cambridge, which praised Stang's contribution to the environmental movement, as wikipedia