With presence in Buenos Aires schools and parishes, in the Salta lands of Cafayate and other points of Catamarca, Tucumán, Mendoza and Rosario, The Community of the Order of San Agustín in Argentina celebrates as no one the choice of Pope Leo XIV. His referents see him as a continuator of Francisco’s legacy, with The missionary and community imprint that characterizes the religious congregation that Robert Francis Prevot He drove worldwide for twelve years.
“Prevost was our senior major, between 2001 and 2023, when Francisco took him to Rome. In 2004 he visited all the houses of the Augustinians in Argentina: He went to Mendoza, Rosario, Cafayate, Tucumán, Catamarca, Salta and Buenos Aires. Inaugurated the Agustiniana Library, in the Santa Monica House, on Nazca Street, in Villa Devoto, and shared meetings with then cardinal Jorge Bergoglio ”, confirmed to The nation The current superior of the Augustinian order in Argentina, the priest Juan Antonio Gil Solórzano, while greeted faithful who approached him, in the parish of San Agustín.
The photo of the two future potatoes on the altar From the church of Las Heras and Agüero Avenue, he went viral the next day of the election of Leo XIV. “In 2004 there were cell phones, But we didn’t get so many photos, ” A priest of the community that shared those moments with the current Pope is labeled, while talking in the parish atrium with three parishioners. Many remember the 2013 visit, when Prevost accompanied as superior to order to Argentine Bishop Alberto Bocatey in his episcopal consecration, in the Cathedral of La Plata.
Father Gil Solórzano trusts that there will be a continuity among the pontificate of Francisco and De Leo XIV, especially in social matters, in tune with the apostolate that characterizes the Augustinians.
“Our charisma teaches us that We have come to serve the Church and we do it through schools and parishes. Many families support the actions of human promotion and solidarity that since 1969 We carry out in Salta, ”explained the priest to The nation. Thus, an elderly home, a residence, housing construction, social assistance and commitment to people in need, ”
The presence of the Augustinian work in Cafayate led to the Holy See to trust the pastoral government of the Prelature to priests of the order of San Agustín, Modality that has been preserved for more than 50 years.
Beyond the social assistance programs, the Augustinians identify the synodal experience that Francisco promoted with The community life that characterizes religious orders. “It is very Augustinian. Looking for consensus, dialogue, seeing what unites us and seeking the communion of souls and hearts, the slogan of St. Augustine,” summarized the superior of the order in Argentina.
“Religious orders always They contributed the wealth of community life And a greater social sensitivity, a vision that contributes to the proximity of the Church with the people, ”explained the analyst José María Poirier, director of the Journal of Criteria, by repairing that the last two popes- Francisco and Leo XIV- emerged from religious orders: the Jesuits and the Augustinians.
In another approach, the theology professor María Clara Bingemer, from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, he estimated, before a consultation of the NATION, that the election of Leo XIV was strategic. “It is American, when the United States is evidenced by negative issues, such as deportations.” And he estimated that Cardinal Prevost, as head of the Dicasteria for the Bishops, most likely intervened in the recent appointment of Cardinal Robert Walter Mcelroy as Archbishop of Washington, in Trump’s heel. ”The aforementioned cardinal comes from the diocese of San Diego, on the border of Mexico, where he created synodal parishes and promoted support for support and promoted migrants.
“The brand new Pope has the weight of being a voice heard in the United States. He would expect him to fight to abolish that false nomenclature that America is synonymous with the United States. America We are all,” said the theologian. He recalled Prevost’s work with the poor and migrants, but called to wait to see what degree of openness shows against moral issues.
Another analyst, the Spanish priest Francisco Javier Bronchalo, observed that the decision of Leo XIV of Asom to the balcony with the red muleta, the stole and the golden cross It seems a formality, but it is an important gesture “recovers the tradition of the Church and shows that it gives importance to the signs, which are always a great catechesis.”
