Pope planning two deeply politicised canonisations when he visits Argentina

The two names that Francis plans to canonize to close the rift in his visit to Argentina

Preparations and scenarios for the Pope's visit after the October elections. He would frame his journey with the canonization of two Argentines with different backgrounds and conditions.

The first meetings have already started, a campaign. Like the electoral one. Preparations and scenarios for the Pope's visit after the October elections. And before the Christmas celebration. The new Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, was appointed local head of the mission: he will not lack of poor people, he grew up in that area. But the project is diverted by other paths, such as the training of different sectors of the flock for a cordial reception and, also, to achieve adhesion to another key initiative: Francis trusts in promoting an understanding that, in the way of the Church, establishes a sort of reconciliation, forgetting episodes of the past. For a protagonist of that past like him, Argentina would solve a good part of its crises based on a forgiveness of the parties, consented and broad, overcoming. It is difficult to know if the proposal constitutes a reparation of resentments or a Christian entelechy.

At the same time, Jorge Bergoglio -who apparently will visit only three points of the Republic, without stopping in the Capital where he lived and studied- will frame his trip with the canonization of two Argentines with different backgrounds and conditions: the businessman Enrique Shaw and the military man Argentino Del Valle Larrabure, two non-religious saints.

Two other Argentines have already been declared saints by Bergoglio: José Gabriel Brochero, the "gaucho priest", in October 2016, and Artémides Zatti, in October 2022 (Héctor Valdivielso Sáez, "martyr" of the Asturias Revolution of 1934, was the first Argentine saint, by John Paul II, in 1999). Zatti, "the nurse of the poor", of Italian origin and nationalized, is noted for a selfless activity that even led him to direct the hospital of Viedma, with a record of surprising phenomena confirmed by the Church. Change of slogan: a heart that feels when there are eyes that do not see. 

Without attributable miracles (Cathcon: !!!!!!!!!!!), on the other hand, is the sanctification of Shaw, a businessman trained in the Navy (he retired as a frigate lieutenant), whose social contribution was examined by various experts for decades and in which Bergoglio himself participated when he approved his canonization in 1996. Stutterer, chaste, later married to Cecilia Bunge, 9 children, driving force of Catholic Action and founder of a businessmen's league (ACDE), Shaw exercised a sort of secular priesthood recognized as Rigolleau's top executive. He has another piece of information in his file: he was arrested by Perón when the Church came into conflict with the government before the overthrow of 1955 and persecutions followed. The collection of the businessman's personal writings seems to have been fundamental for his enthronement, apart from the support of a strong group of colleagues, in which he invokes as conduct the good manners demanded by the Vatican in a collection of anecdotes rich in these experiences of sexual self-control and generosity.

The other Servant of God that the Pope would be willing to consecrate during his visit is Colonel Larrabure, kidnapped by the ERP during the democratic government of María Estela de Perón: 372 days confined in a cabin in extreme concentration camp conditions, tortured and murdered, returned almost as a skeleton (Cathcon: the Marxists, who are hardly to be trusted, say he committed suicide). Larrabure did not seem to be a man of military politics, but a technician specialized in explosives; from the hard captivity, he asked his children in writing to forgive his captors, presumably more as a Christian gesture than as an imposition of his jailers. The recognition of the martyrology of the soldier may be part of the political contribution that the Pope is said to have made during his visit: the proposal of an agreement or law to close the chapter of the rift of the bloody 70's, a task in which some figures -and others that will be summoned- have begun to engage, either through an inter-religious, partisan or social dialogue, with organizations of all kinds. The nature of this instrument and the mechanisms that will be used to achieve this objective have not yet been revealed. Neither did García Cuerva speak, who for August 7, like all his predecessors, dedicated his message in San Cayetano to the search for a well-paid job. As if those present or absent in that church did not try every day.

Certain non-progressive sectors are suspicious of a Bergoglio who during his administration has granted -according to them- more space to leftist organizations than to others who confronted them. Therefore, there is an enormous curiosity to know the tools to solve the blood divide. Much more than the obvious intentionality of the initiative. This dilemma will cross all future encounters to discover not only the disposition of the parties, but also the articulation of a norm that will cease or cushion the differences. A recent confession of the Pope is of interest: the blame for Argentina's problems must be attributed to the Argentines, not to international agents, interests of other countries or nefarious synarchies. Nor is he responsible, of course, as if he had not lived 60 years in the country.

A priest from Buenos Aires was chosen by Pope Francis as his new personal secretary.

What is recognized is his willingness to abandon the disagreement which, as everybody knows, for a significant proportion of society has been a great political business. In their own way, Carlos Menem and Raúl Alfonsín sought a way out of that labyrinth. Failed attempts. The rest of the caste did not even think of doing it and the Kirchners benefited from the slogan of Laclau's enemy. As the legend states that the Daedalus can be climbed out from above, perhaps it is easier for the Pope than for other humans to escape to Heaven. Everyone believes that he has a special ticket for that ascent.

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Cathcon: I am very surprised that the Pope is planning such a visit given the legal jeopardy he may be in given his handling of abuse cases. We shall see what we shall see.