Hear
After what happened in a mass in the Church of the Holy Crossin the San Cristóbal neighborhood from the city of Buenos Aires -where the participants sang “The Homeland is not for sale” against the president Javier Milei-, a similar situation occurred in the parish Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Constitución. This time the issue escalated more because the person who officiated the rite was the vicar general of the Archbishopric and auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Gustavo Carrara, who later gave explanations in a statement.
Like the previous time, the images were spread through social networks and went viral. In the recordings it is seen that both those who attended the mass, as well as some of the altar servers, sang “The country is not for sale.” The issue usually takes precedence in political mobilizations, especially those led by Kirchnerism. At the time it was one of the premises against the government of Mauricio MacrAnd now it is a wake-up call to the libertarian administration.
According to Argentine Catholic Information Agencythe mass was presided over by Carrara this Friday and they gathered there collection workers -among them, sweepers and waste lifters along with leaders of union organizations- to pray and honor the priest Mauricio Silvadisappeared in 1977 during the last military dictatorship.
After the videos generated controversy, the monsignor issued a statement with his signature. “Today [por el viernes] At the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in the Constitución neighborhood, at noon, we celebrated mass for Father Mauricio Silva, little brother of the Gospel, who while working as a sweeper, on June 14, 1977, was detained-disappeared. At the same time, today marks Sweeper’s Day, which is why many workers participated in the Eucharist,” he introduced.
Carrara also commented that during the celebration they remembered Silva’s vocation to “shout the Gospel with his life” since he had friendship with the poor and was just another worker. “And there ‘being able to announce the resurrection of Jesus, the fatherhood of God, the Kingdom, human fraternity’, and as a consequence of this, defend the dignity of workers, accompanying them in their struggle to live well. That was the tone of the testimonies and the homily”, he clarified.
Then he delved into the moment of the chants against Milei. “Before the final blessing I was surprised by a lady who started singing ‘the country is not for sale’. Many of those present in the temple continued the chant for a minute. I interrupted, said the prayer, and gave the blessing and the final greeting”, he explained.
“I understand that some simple believers could see confused or even upset due to this situation, which can be interpreted as partisan politicization of the celebration of the Eucharistwhich is a sacrament of unity. Now, celebrating the Eucharist is celebrating love, and it is necessary that this love go beyond the temple, also in political action.”, warned Carrara, who cited the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti of the Pope Francisco: “I think it is important to point this out because: ‘For many, politics today is a bad word, and it cannot be ignored that behind this fact there are often errors, corruption, and the 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?’”
Finally, Carrara recalled again that the mass was held to remember Silva and closed: “As main celebrant I take responsibility and humbly apologize. to anyone who might feel offended by it. Thank you so much”.
This same week a video of another Mass, last Sunday in the Church of the Holy Cross of Saint Christopher, where you can see the priest raising the wine and bread, while those who were present on the temple benches sang: “It is not sold, the Homeland is not sold, the Homeland is not sold”.
That day the meeting was called to honor the life of Nora Cortinas, co-founder and president of Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Foundadora; and also of Victor Ernesto, son of Amanda and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel. Both died at the end of May.
THE NATION
