The auxiliary bishop and vicar general of Buenos Aires, Monsignor Gustavo Carraraoffered his “my sincerely apologies” by the songs during a mass celebrated in a parish in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Constitución, in which they heard “The country is not for sale” in a clear message towards the policies implemented by the government of Javier Milei.
In a statement, Carrara stated that “As the main celebrant I assume responsibility, and I humbly apologize to anyone who may feel offended by it.”.
The bishop clarified that “before the final blessing, I was surprised by a lady who began to sing ‘the country is not for sale’, many of those present in the temple continued the song for a minute. “I interrupted, said the prayer, and gave the final blessing and greeting.”
The incident happened this Friday in the parish Immaculate Heart of Mary, during a mass celebrated to honor the priest Mauricio Silva, who disappeared in 1977, during the last military dictatorship. Within the framework of Sweeper’s Day, workers in the sector participated, along with union and social leaders. The images of those present singing “The country is not for sale” went viral on social networks.
“For many, politics today is a bad word”
“I understand that some simple believers could be confused, or even upset by this situation.which can be interpreted as partisan politicization of the celebration of the Eucharist, which is a sacrament of unity,” said the Vicar General of Buenos Aires, although he expressed that “celebrating the Eucharist is celebrating Love, and it is necessary that this love goes beyond the temple, also in political action”.
Along these lines, he paraphrased Pope Francis in a recent intervention and pointed out: “For many, politics today is a bad word, and it cannot be ignored that behind this fact are often the errors, corruption, and inefficiency of some politicians. Added to this are strategies that seek to weaken it, replace it with the economy or dominate it with some ideology. But can the world function without politics? “Can there be an effective path towards universal brotherhood and social peace without good politics?”
“I return to the event that occurred at the end of the mass, and as the main celebrant I assume responsibility, and I humbly apologize to anyone who may have felt offended by it. Thank you very much,” he stated in Carrara’s text that bears his signature.
The message of the Argentine Episcopal Conference
Without reference to the specific event, Monsignor Oscar Vicente Ojeapresident of the Argentine Episcopal Conferenceused his social networks to leave a message, in advance of the Mothers of the Homeland mass, which will be celebrated next Wednesday, June 19 at 7 p.m.
“We do not plan to invite any politician to this Mass because we do not want something so typical of the human being, that does not belong to any political sector in particular, to be used in any way,” highlighted the bishop of the Diocese of San Isidro via X.
Ojea’s words coincide with what happened this Friday in the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish and with A similar situation occurred on June 9, during a mass in the Church of the Holy Cross in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Cristóbal.in which the chant “The country is not for sale” was also heard.
