In the midst of a session with little face -to -face participation, the Congress of the Republic of Peru He rejected the request submitted by the Executive to allow President Dina Boluarte to travel to Rome. The goal of the trip was to attend the Pope Franciswho died on Monday, according to medical sources, for a stroke. The funeral ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 am (Rome time), and will congregate leaders and heads of state around the world.
Minutes after the result of the vote was known, a Session of the Council of Ministersin which it was announced that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmer Schialer, will attend in Representation of the Peruvian government.
“Mrs. President of the Republic has commissioned me and honors me to point out that it is the undersigned who represents Peru in these exequias,” said Schialer during the press conference. As detailed, the ceremony will be attended by about thirty heads of state and government, among other international dignitaries.
During his speech, the chancellor also referred to Pope Francis for Peru in 2018, highlighting the reception of the Peruvian people on that occasion. “That love, that faith, that joy with which the Peruvian people have always received Pope Francis … we could, as a state, as appropriate, to pay the tributes that are their own,” he said.
With 45 votes against, 40 in favor and abstention, the legislative decided to prevent his departure from the country. This resolution was taken in a Extraordinary session With the active participation of only six congressmen in the hemicycle, while most participated remotely due to the week of representation.
The Executive’s proposal included the recommendation of the Foreign Ministry, which had indicated that “it was of the utmost importance” that the president went to the funeral as a sign of institutional respect and in recognition of the ties of the Pontiff with the country. However, this consideration was not enough to reverse the critical perception of Parliament.
The speed with which the order was discussed also caught the attention. The procedure was resolved with a Brief session, limited in intervention and assistance. Three parliamentarians intervened before the vote. The rest of the legislators were in Decentralized work. Despite the diplomatic transcendence of the event, the decision was resolved without major exchanges of arguments.
The refusal of Congress did not occur in a vacuum. Several parliamentarians expressed their rejection of the trip proposed by Boluarte, claiming that the country’s internal situation demanded its presence. Carlos Anderson, one of the most critical congressmen, harshly questioned the president’s intention: “Her trip to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral is nothing but a shows more of the terrible frivolity with which she approaches any act of government. There are thousands of deaths here that merit are honored with their presence, their action, their fight against crime. ”
In a similar line, Guido Bellido, Jorge Montoya, María Jáuregui and Patricia Juárez expressed their disagreement. Juarez, a member of the Fujimorist bench, said that the president had to refrain from the attempt to get out: “I think it’s not the time. Even when she visited the Pope, I think she was not very happy to receive her either.”
As reported by Elmer SchialerPope Francis’s funeral will be “simple and humble”, following the wishes of the Own Pontiff. The Foreign Minister explained that the Apostolic Nuncio in Lima told them that the arrangements for the ceremony followed that spirit.
“The deceased Pope wanted to dispose of them as simple and humble as possible, echoing the way he gave life and how he lived it,” he explained. He also indicated that the ceremony, although sober, will congregate a large number of official and faithful representatives who will meet in Rome.
The Monsignor Paolo Rocco Gualtieri invited all Catholics and faithful in Peru to Sign the book of condolences arranged by the Nunciature Before the death of the Pontiff, which will be available to the public in the next few days.
According to the ecclesiastical authority, the book of condolences may be signed in the Apostolic Nunciature, which is located on General Salaverry Avenue 600 – 676, in the district of Jesús María, from 10:00 am to 12:00 m. and from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, until the day of the funeral in Rome.
