"We have not let Bergoglio be Francis," says the Archbishop of Buenos Aires

 "We have not let Bergoglio be Francis," said García Cuerva, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Jorge García Cuerva spoke with Iván Schargodsky in El Fin de la Metáfora about the meaning of the pilgrimage to Luján, the situation of the country within the framework of the electoral campaign and also referred to the criticism against the Pope that is said in Argentina. For the archbishop, the pilgrimage is "a reflection of what life is." According to García Cuerva, life "is a walk" and in the walk "there are moments when we feel alone, there are moments when we feel accompanied", "more difficult moments and there are happier moments." "In some way, walking to the Virgin of Luján has to do with taking our lives to the Virgin," he said.

The archbishop maintained that the number of people who participate in the pilgrimage "is increasing" each year and highlighted the generational transfer of the participants. "You find the grandparents, the parents and the children," he explained. And he declared: "it is an expression of the people of God who walk to the Virgin." Regarding the posters against Milei that could be seen in some of the streets through which the pilgrimage passed, Archbishop García Cuerva assured: "That type of posters of course have not been put up by the organizers of the pilgrimage, what is real is that we in this pilgrimage cannot be oblivious to the fact that we also come to ask for our country and much more 25 days before an election. "Also He alluded to the criticism that is often made against the Pope in Argentina. "The Pope is a world leader, he is the head of the Catholic Church and I assure you that those of us who are close have been able to experience what it means in the world, meanwhile Argentines sometimes continue arguing whether or not he smiles at the current president in a photo," he explained.

And he pointed out: "I think that we have not let Bergoglio be Francis. That is why many of the criticisms are absolutely unfounded, they are taking interpretations from the interpretations of some sporadic interpreter that he has, but really few of us know or have directly read him. Read directly his reflections and his thinking is found to be much richer than these criticisms that sometimes come out." Regarding the electoral context, García Cuerva stated that the church looks at it "with concern" due to the "state of the social situation." "We cannot be indifferent to more than 40% of the poverty rate or more than 12% of the inflation rate, which is the tax on the poor. For us, these figures are concrete faces, they are brothers with what one comes across by name. and last name," he said.

In any case, he assured that "what we cannot do is lose hope of moving our country forward" and, immediately afterwards, he referred to the tone of the public debate today. "I think it is toxic, aggressive and violent," he said. "It seems to me that we should raise the discussion. I dream that someday we will see the candidates signing a commitment with four or five issues that are public policy, whoever they are." win (...) Sometimes the vocation for power is such that we leave aside what is important," he concluded.

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