The Argentine bishops join the pope: agreement for a visit to the country in 2020? – 28/04/2019

From this Sunday and for three weeks, all the bishops of the country – in three sessions – will badyze with Pope Francis the religious and social reality of Argentina.

It will be in the context of the traditional visit "ad limina apostolorum" (on the threshold of the apostles) that all the prelates of the world will perform every five years with the Pontiff and the directors of the Vatican organizations.

Properly speaking, the last visit of the Argentineans took place in 2009 when he was in the chair of Pedro Benedict XVI. It is therefore the first of his compatriots in Francisco, which raises a particular expectation at a time when the country is going through an election year marked by political tensions affecting the economy, hit by high inflation, a persistent recession, poverty increased and increasing poverty. unemployment.

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To this complex image are added situations that disturb the Church the attempt to legalize the abortion, which ended last year, is wrecked in the Senate. And this will be repeated in 2019. Which resulted in a strong confrontation of the ecclesiastical institution with the sectors in favor of the legal initiative. So much so that feminist groups went to ask for the "separation" of church and state, united by some formal ties, especially by the economic contribution enshrined in the Constitution. The trial led the episcopate to decide to give up "gradually" this aid – mainly a monthly allowance of 45,000 pesos to the bishops – which represents less than 10% of its budget, but which has a high political value.

At the time of the deterioration of the economic situation of last year, the bishops expressed their concerns publicly and privately, without however addressing the government. While the relations between the pope and the party in power were divergent: with a sector composed in particular of María Eugenia Vidal, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Carolina Stanley, the relations were fluid and narrow, while with another directed by the Chief of Staff, Marcos Peña, He remained cold and distant. Although the pontiff chose to remain politically distant by elections.

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With all, Authorization by President Macri of Congress Debate on Abortion angered the Church. In addition, the Rose House was disturbed by the Mbad celebrated by the Archbishop of Luján, Agustín Radrizzani, in front of guild leaders and kirchneristas. However, the government – before the worsening economic crisis and growing political tension – has sought in recent weeks an approach with the church. So, the chief of staff went to the episcopal direction to explain the actions he was leading.

The main concern of the ruling party is perhaps what Francisco could say at the end of the Argentine bishops' visit to Argentina, since it usually happens that the closing ends with a speech. At the time of the presidency of Carlos Menem, Pope John Paul II of the time had particularly "ad limina" a very Argentine visit of the Argentine concept about the country, such as "corruption and corruption". Impunity are likely to become widespread ". And that led Casa Rosada to try to lower the tone.

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The fact that the bishops, announcing weeks before the visit to the Vatican, said that they would tell Francisco "not to deprive themselves of the joy of the visit", provoked speculations about the possibility that the pope will announce his trip postponed. in Argentina. And even, this began to be considered a likely date in the autumn of 2020, when the 500th anniversary of the first mbad will be celebrated on what will later be the Argentine territory: Puerto San Julián, in Santa Cruz. But then, the president of the episcopate, Oscar Ojea, was shown cautious.

With all this framework to which are added internally the challenges of the Church before a culture that seems to move away from religious, we understand the expectation that causes the first visit "ad limina" bishops of Argentina to the pontiff of his country. Maybe the only one in many years.