The Catholic bishops who were gathered since last Monday in Pilar participating in their plenary assembly They closed their deliberations on Friday without any collective statement in relation to the second electoral round which will be held on November 19. The members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy traveled to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lujan on Thursday to – as they said – “bring to the Virgin the deep prayer for the Homeland and the Argentine people.” On the occasion, the archbishop of Córdoba, Ángel Rossi, recently created cardinal by Pope Francis, said that «Luján is his maternal home, and therefore it is a safe reference point where he always returns, or when there are beautiful things to celebrate, or thank you, or as in these certainly critical times, when we feel tired and overwhelmed to seek shelter and comfort, to seek relief and strength in the arms of the Mother”. The bishops also thanked the Pope for the announcement of the beatification of Argentine Cardinal Eduardo Pironio (1920-1998).
From Luján, Bishop Oscar Ojea, president of the Episcopal Conference, invited each diocese of Argentina to celebrate Friday the 17th “a day of prayer for the country”, leaving freedom so that in each place it is done in the way that the bishop decides.
That was the only collective demonstration of the Catholic hierarchy regarding the crucial election that will be held in a few days throughout the country. The bishops chose to avoid any pronouncement, thus neglecting the explicit request that Catholic lay people made during the week so that “do not remain silent or remain indifferent” before the runoff, because “what is decided is the continuity of democracy and with it the possibility of social coexistence and progress.”
It is known that several bishops received the request from the laity directly while participating in the assembly and through messages sent by the organizations and people who signed the request, which demanded a statement from the ecclesiastical authorities.
The Pope’s visit
Meanwhile, the priests of the Team of Priests of Villas and Popular Neighborhoods renewed their request for Francisco to visit Argentina and claimed «the value of social justice», during a mass celebrated in La Matanza in which Bishop Eduardo García participated. (San Justo) and the priest José “Pepe” De Paola. «Pope Francis is one of ours, that’s why we want him to come to Argentina«said priest Pablo Viola, of the archdiocese of Córdoba, in the homily of the mass. Representative Eduardo Valdés and the Minister of Social Development, Victoria Tolosa Paz, also participated in the liturgical meeting.
«Our Argentine people have dreams, hopes, desires, of peace and fraternity, unity, social justice and it is Francisco – one of ours – who interprets them clearly, that is why he is our shepherd who guides and enlightens us and that is why we also want come, to make us feel his presence. He is from our house, he understands us and that is how we recognize him as a pastor, regardless of whether he is the Pope,» Viola said.
Last Monday, when speaking at the opening of the plenary assembly of the Episcopate, the president of the Episcopal Conference, Oscar Ojea, had expressed the «deep desire» of the Argentine Church for the Pope to visit his native country and noted that this meeting » It will help to heal wounds, to grow in learning dialogue» and to renew the «missionary spirit».
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