Pope Francis worries about misuse of law and pressure on judges

ROME.- By closing today a
The Pan American Summit of Judges on Social Rights, attended by several Argentinian judges, Pope Francis expressed his concern at the misuse of the law to intervene in politics, as well as at the pressure exerted on judges defending social rights .

"I take this opportunity to meet you and express my concern about a new form of exogenous intervention in the political scenarios of the countries through the abusive use of judicial procedures and judicial typifications," Francisco said. expressing in front of a hundred judges the American continent in Casina Pío IV, headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, where they spoke yesterday about social rights and Franciscan doctrine.

"Lawfare, in addition to seriously endangering the democracy of the countries, is generally used to undermine the emerging political processes and to tend to the systematic violation of the social rights", warned Francisco.
four-page speech. "To ensure the institutional quality of states, it is fundamental to detect and neutralize this type of practice resulting from irregular judicial activities badociated with parallel multimedia operations," he added. "The previous trial, the media, we all know," he added, leaving the text prepared.

Francisco reminded magistrates across the continent that defending or prioritizing social rights over other types of interests often results in severe consequences and pressures. This attitude, he said, "will confront them not only with an unjust system but also with a powerful system of communication of power, which will frequently distort the scope of their decisions, call into question their honesty and probity." "It's an asymmetrical and erosive battle to overcome it.It is necessary to maintain not only strength, but also creativity and adequate elasticity," he said. "How often do the judges face lonely walls of defamation and reproach!" S & # 39; he exclaimed. "Certainly, it takes a great deal of strength to cope," he added.

In this regard, he highlighted the fact that the Summit had established a Pan-American Standing Committee of Judges and Judges for Social Rights, which had as one of its objectives "to overcome loneliness in the judiciary, by providing support and mutual badistance to revitalize the exercise of his mission. "

You have a vital role

When he remembered that in 2015, he told members of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra popular movements that they had a "vital role" and that they were "social poets, creators of works, builders of housing, food producers, especially for those away from the world market", he used an expression very similar to that of judges from the continent.

"Dear magistrates, you have a vital role, let me tell you that you are also poets, social poets when you are not afraid to be the protagonists of the transformation of the judicial system based on the courage, justice and the primacy of the dignity of the human person over any other kind of interest or justification, "he said. He was then heard by judges from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Colombia and other countries of America, as well as by Argentina, a country endowed with larger delegation, presided over by exjuez from the Supreme Court.

Raúl Eugenio Zaffaroni.

At the beginning of his speech, the pope stressed the importance of the "noble and heavy" mission of the magistrates, especially in the current "crisis time", in which "the paradox is verified: there are On the one hand, a phenomenon phenomenal normative development, but on the other hand a degradation of the effective enjoyment "of social rights. In this context, he said that "every time, and more frequently, companies adopt de facto anomic forms, especially with regard to laws governing social rights, with different arguments – budget deficits, impossibility to generalize the benefits. " or their programmatic rather than operational nature. "" I am concerned that voices are being raised, particularly by some "doctrinaires", who are trying to "explain" that social rights are "old" ", overwhelmed and have nothing to contribute to our societies. economic and social conditions that lead our peoples to accept and justify inequality and indignity, "he lamented." The injustice and lack of concrete and concrete opportunities behind so many badyzes unable to pbad on the feet of the other – and I do not say shoes, because in many cases these people do not have them – is also a way to generate violence: silence, but violence at the end ", was he warned.

There is no democracy with hunger

He lamented, on the other hand, "naturalized social injustice" and therefore, invisible, we only remember or recognize when "some make noise in the streets" and are quickly labeled as dangerous or dangerous. "This is one of the great obstacles to the social pact and weakens the democratic system: there is no democracy with hunger, no development with poverty, no justice in the world. "inequality", he said in a speech that ended with applause.

Francisco then signed the final declaration of the summit as well as the act of creation of the Pan American Permanent Committee of Judges for the aforementioned social rights. Then, in a very good mood, he greeted, one by one, the magistrates present, including many old acquaintances. Most took the opportunity to bless themselves with rosaries and other religious objects. In the end, he granted a group photo at the entrance of the splendid Casina Pío IV – Renaissance building located in the Vatican Gardens – in which Judge Andrés Gallardo, president of a court of administrative litigation and tax of Buenos Aires, a Chancellor "of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, organizer of the event, had a privileged place.

Inés Weinberg, president of CABA's Superior Court of Justice and government nominee to the leadership of the nation's general power of attorney, hailed the event. "It was worth it: we all agree that we should better distribute the wealth, that it is wrong to think that there are few rich and many poor, that everyone should have access to decent housing, employment, health, education and that there is no future for all in the event of inequality, which, for me, does not is corrected only by access to education, "he told La Nación" What is interesting is to see how far we, as judges, can intervene in creating this better world, to the extent that we depend on the other powers of the state and, as discussed here, on the international level as well, "he concluded.