September 11 2015
His Holiness Pope Francesco
The Vatican
Vatican.com/contact
Holy Father,
It seems that in the coming weeks you will be visited by our premier dr. Ben Whiteman and Monseignor Luigi Antonio Secco the bishop of our lovely island Curacao.
The reason for this impromptu visit is a mystery for all of us for there is very little information available as to the purpose of this visit and what we, as an island, can expect to get out of this.
We are a small island of merely 174 square miles, with only 150.000 inhabitants of which 80% is Catholic.
So, with such a strong Catholic presence, of course the school system is mostly Catholic and in hands of a Catholic school board.
We also have, what used to be the fifth largest refinery in the world, but due to mismanagement and poor maintenance it became the worst polluter in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Reports made our own government and the Dutch government prove this, claiming that it is responsible for 18 premature deaths per year due to air pollution and millions of dollars of health care cost.
The refinery, PDVSA, belonging to the Venezuelan regime, has for years neglected all rules and regulations regarding pollution of the air, water and land and denying all accusations, while all reports made and samples taken by our own government tell a different story.
Now, since your Holiness took such a strong position on air pollution and the environment, it would be akward in the eyes of the population here to receive our prime minister, who publicly said that he would not take any action against the refinery because his father used to work there and because of that, he could become a doctor and would never close the refinery down
As a doctor he fails to follow the oath of Hypocritas he took when he graduated and knowingly accepting the death of 18 people a year without taking any action as a government or as a physician.
Same goes for Monseignor Secco, our beloved bishop, who will accept handouts from the refinery in the form of upgrading of churches and allowing the public relations officer of the refinery to sit on the Catholic School Board to cover the complains of the schools downwind of the refinery, that often have to send the students home because of the foul air and smoke of the refinery.
As long as the refinery is contributing handsomely to the bisshop’s proyects you will not hear the bishop or the Catholic School Board complain about the sick students or air pollution.
Now that you have taken such a strong stand against pollution, I urge you to take a decision on the position of the Catholic church here in Curacao against the refinery and instruct bishop Secco to do the same and stop turning the other cheek and play the ignorant, for there are approximately 60.000 people living downwind from the refinery that will turn their backs to the Catholic church when they see their loved ones with breathing difficulties while bishop Secco is accepting “gifts” from the refinery.
If you decide to support the prime minister and bishop Secco it will contradict your stand on pollution in the world and will ruin your credibility, mine anyways.
Hoping you will reflect on this and hoping you will take the right decision, for you have proven in the past to be strong minded in spite of public opninion dictating otherwise, I remain,
with all respect,
Arthur Donker
Updates
September 13, 2015
The silence from the leadership remains heavy and their lack of transparency is becoming impossible to ignore. I keep reading the stories people share here about the refinery and they remind me that we are right to keep pushing despite the fatigue.
September 13, 2015
Seeing this level of support makes me feel less isolated in this fight for our air and our health. The road ahead remains exhausting but knowing so many of you are watching keeps me going.
Reached 100 supporters
September 13, 2015
57 Comments
As a girl of 12 years old, I want for all the children to grow up on a healthy Island and breath fresh air!
Solely because of the presence of this refinery, to my dismay I happen to belong to the group of people with the highest carbon footprint in the world... What do I need to do to change this unacceptable fact? Leave the Island? Also an unacceptable suggestion. A strong spiritual signal towards the weak and visionless politicians might do the trick!
Genoeg met die stank en dodelijke slachtoffers iedere dag , jaar in , jaar uit. Dit gebied kan veel opleveren voor de gemeenschap, er is genoeg animo voor en veel mensen kunnen daar hun brood verdienen met het toerisme! Denk aan extra cruiseterminal , bioscoop, discotheek, tourisme office, drive in bioscoop, nieuwe plek voor stadsschouwburg, wandelboulevards, joggingtrack, gewoon een plek waar iedere Curacaoenaar met plezier naar toe gaat om elkaar te ontmoeten en te flaneren.
Dear Pope, tell our minister of health and our bishop that they should be ashamed not to follow your guidance re pollution.
Not a Catholic but wholeheartedly supporting any action that stops the pollution!
COULD YOU PLEASE STOP ISLA NOW
Pollution and killing of the island and its habitants must stop now!!
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September 11 2015
His Holiness Pope Francesco
The Vatican
Vatican.com/contact
Holy Father,
It seems that in the coming weeks you will be visited by our premier dr. Ben Whiteman and Monseignor Luigi Antonio Secco the bishop of our lovely island Curacao.
The reason for this impromptu visit is a mystery for all of us for there is very little information available as to the purpose of this visit and what we, as an island, can expect to get out of this.
We are a small island of merely 174 square miles, with only 150.000 inhabitants of which 80% is Catholic.
So, with such a strong Catholic presence, of course the school system is mostly Catholic and in hands of a Catholic school board.
We also have, what used to be the fifth largest refinery in the world, but due to mismanagement and poor maintenance it became the worst polluter in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Reports made our own government and the Dutch government prove this, claiming that it is responsible for 18 premature deaths per year due to air pollution and millions of dollars of health care cost.
The refinery, PDVSA, belonging to the Venezuelan regime, has for years neglected all rules and regulations regarding pollution of the air, water and land and denying all accusations, while all reports made and samples taken by our own government tell a different story.
Now, since your Holiness took such a strong position on air pollution and the environment, it would be akward in the eyes of the population here to receive our prime minister, who publicly said that he would not take any action against the refinery because his father used to work there and because of that, he could become a doctor and would never close the refinery down
As a doctor he fails to follow the oath of Hypocritas he took when he graduated and knowingly accepting the death of 18 people a year without taking any action as a government or as a physician.
Same goes for Monseignor Secco, our beloved bishop, who will accept handouts from the refinery in the form of upgrading of churches and allowing the public relations officer of the refinery to sit on the Catholic School Board to cover the complains of the schools downwind of the refinery, that often have to send the students home because of the foul air and smoke of the refinery.
As long as the refinery is contributing handsomely to the bisshop’s proyects you will not hear the bishop or the Catholic School Board complain about the sick students or air pollution.
Now that you have taken such a strong stand against pollution, I urge you to take a decision on the position of the Catholic church here in Curacao against the refinery and instruct bishop Secco to do the same and stop turning the other cheek and play the ignorant, for there are approximately 60.000 people living downwind from the refinery that will turn their backs to the Catholic church when they see their loved ones with breathing difficulties while bishop Secco is accepting “gifts” from the refinery.
If you decide to support the prime minister and bishop Secco it will contradict your stand on pollution in the world and will ruin your credibility, mine anyways.
Hoping you will reflect on this and hoping you will take the right decision, for you have proven in the past to be strong minded in spite of public opninion dictating otherwise, I remain,
with all respect,
Arthur Donker
Updates
September 13, 2015
The silence from the leadership remains heavy and their lack of transparency is becoming impossible to ignore. I keep reading the stories people share here about the refinery and they remind me that we are right to keep pushing despite the fatigue.
September 13, 2015
Seeing this level of support makes me feel less isolated in this fight for our air and our health. The road ahead remains exhausting but knowing so many of you are watching keeps me going.
Reached 100 supporters
September 13, 2015
57 Comments
I just want to be able to go outside, at home, and breathe fresh air (again) without the Isla stench or without breathing difficulties (asthma).
As a girl of 12 years old, I want for all the children to grow up on a healthy Island and breath fresh air!
Solely because of the presence of this refinery, to my dismay I happen to belong to the group of people with the highest carbon footprint in the world... What do I need to do to change this unacceptable fact? Leave the Island? Also an unacceptable suggestion. A strong spiritual signal towards the weak and visionless politicians might do the trick!
Genoeg met die stank en dodelijke slachtoffers iedere dag , jaar in , jaar uit. Dit gebied kan veel opleveren voor de gemeenschap, er is genoeg animo voor en veel mensen kunnen daar hun brood verdienen met het toerisme! Denk aan extra cruiseterminal , bioscoop, discotheek, tourisme office, drive in bioscoop, nieuwe plek voor stadsschouwburg, wandelboulevards, joggingtrack, gewoon een plek waar iedere Curacaoenaar met plezier naar toe gaat om elkaar te ontmoeten en te flaneren.
Dear Pope, tell our minister of health and our bishop that they should be ashamed not to follow your guidance re pollution.
Not a Catholic but wholeheartedly supporting any action that stops the pollution!
COULD YOU PLEASE STOP ISLA NOW
Pollution and killing of the island and its habitants must stop now!!
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I just want to be able to go outside, at home, and breathe fresh air (again) without the Isla stench or without breathing difficulties (asthma).