Religious leaders warn of social deterioration and mental health crisis in DR

Santo Domingo.– The growing wave of violent and heartbreaking events that have been recorded in the country in recent weeks has generated concern in different sectors. Religious leaders warned that the Dominican Republic is facing a deep mental health crisis and a deterioration of the social fabric, which must be addressed urgently. The coordinator of Prison Ministry, Fray Arístides Jiménez Richardson, stated that these episodes are a reflection of a sick society that needs to review its foundations.

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“Hay signos de patología, de una especie de psicosis social. Es necesario que revisemos los valores que estamos transmitiendo desde la niñez, la adolescencia y la juventud. Vemos una desarticulación familiar que está desgarrando nuestro tejido social, y este mal tiene que ser atendido por todas las instituciones del país sin distinción alguna”,

advirtió.

In the same vein, the president of the Dominican Council of Evangelical Unity (Codue), Feliciano Lacen, called on the entire nation to reflect on the spiritual and values disconnection that society is going through.

“Estamos viviendo una desconexión de lo sagrado que nos está llevando a situaciones nunca antes vistas: madres quitando la vida a sus hijos, padres cometiendo atrocidades. No es solo un problema del Estado, es un mal que debe ser enfrentado por todos: gobierno, oposición, empresarios, sociedad civil e iglesias. Necesitamos un país en paz y convivencia pacífica”,

manifestó.

Both leaders agreed that the current crisis should be taken as a profound call to rethink family, social, and spiritual values, and urged the different sectors to work together to restore trust, coexistence, and mental health in the Dominican Republic.