Who are Jorge Bergoglio's apostles wading into the political mud of Buenos Aires? It was always all about Argentinian politics at the expense of the Catholic Faith
They are Pope Franciscan bishops from key dioceses. A squabble with party leaders. Peronist internal conflict and the dream of a city bearing the Pope's name in La Matanza.
Ahead of the September 7 Buenos Aires elections, Jorge Bergoglio's apostles began wading into the political mud of Buenos Aires. The goal is to learn firsthand the intentions of those running and, above all, to remind them of Pope Francis's doctrinal and social legacy.
And you, which side are you on?
From the all-exclusive approach advocated by Milei to the all-inclusive approach preached by the Church
The provincial Pope Franciscan legion is made up of Archbishop Gustavo Carrara (La Plata), Bishops Eduardo García (San Justo), Jorge Lugones (Lomas de Zamora), Carlos Tissera (Quilmes), Maxi Margni (Avellaneda-Lanús), Jorge Torres Carbonell (Gregorio de Laferrere), and Quilmes Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Redondo, among others; all of them with the Bergoglian gene by birth or adoption.
Separately, Buenos Aires ecclesiastical authorities held meetings with representatives from different political parties prior to the closing of the lists. The bishops will be responsible for preaching Bergoglian social thought as a beacon for political practice among those tasked with legislating in the Province and in the municipal councils.
Pope Francis city with internal conflict
The boldest move came from La Matanza, where Bishop García launched a project to name an area delimited by Crovara, Cristiania, Camino de Cintura, and Route 3 as Pope Francis City.
The ecclesiastical dream was transformed into a political agenda with the push of La Cámpora, especially through Representative Facundo Tignanelli, who promoted the formal declaration in the Matanzas City Council and later in the Provincial Legislature.
The ecclesiastical project not only revived the ideology of Land, Roof, and Work, the cornerstone of Francis's pontificate, but also rekindled tensions within the local Peronist movement.
Mayor Fernando Espinoza, at odds with part of the Matanzas clergy, was not consulted and was disconcerted by the bishop's prominence in an area historically under his territorial control. In fact, García personally presented the project to Pope Leo XIV during a recent visit to the Vatican.
Each one attends to his (territorial) game
The Archbishop of La Plata took advantage of the Te Deum on July 9 to celebrate the Jubilee of Politicians at the local cathedral, where in his sermon, he outlined the work of public affairs to Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof, Vice Governor Verónica Magario, Chief Advisor Cristina Álvarez Rodríguez, provincial ministers Carlos Bianco (Government) and Andrés Larroque (Community Development), and mayors Julio Alak (La Plata) and Mario Secco (Ensenada), among others.
The date was no coincidence and coincided with the forging of alliances, in which provincial Peronism is entrenched, despite internal tension, behind the Fuerza Patria banner to define the candidates in the eight electoral sections in order to confront the onslaught of the electoral union of La Libertad Avanza and the PRO (Progressive Party of Buenos Aires).
In this electoral context, Bishop Margni, whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction includes two key districts: Avellaneda and Lanús, also opened the political game by convening leaders from diverse party backgrounds to consider, based on the legacy of Francis, a politics with a human face.
At a meeting at the local curia, integral ecology, the culture of encounter, and the common good were discussed, Franciscan axes that seek to gain ground in the territorial debate.
Small and medium-sized business entrepreneur Federico Cuomo, university professor Mauro Cunto, Councilwoman Melina Espósito (UP), City Councilman and official Maximiliano Gallucci (JxC), Omar Garmendia, Councilwoman Karina Gutiérrez (UP), Representative Mónica Litza (UP), Ombudsman Gladys Pestillo (Frente Renovador), Councilman Santiago Pirolo, and Mariana Rosendo were present.
In Quilmes, Tissera and his assistant Redondo reinforced the symbolic dimension. It was at the tribute to the first diocesan Jorge Novak in the
local cathedral, where Mayor Mayra Mendoza and the president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), Marcelo Colombo, met.
There, they inaugurated the Papa Francisco Passage, in an event that reinforced the historical thread that unites the bishops of this diocese with popular causes.
Emergency funds for addictions
In Lomas de Zamora, Jesuit Priest Lugones raised the alarm over the lack of public policies to address the scourge of drug trafficking.
During an event at the UNLZ (National University of La Paz), the Lomas prelate launched the Campaign for Community Emergency in Addictions, supported by social and political leaders such as Representative Natalia Zaracho, Mayor Mariano Cascallares, and community organizations.
"There is no campaign against drug trafficking, neither in the Province nor in the Nation. That's why we are doing it," Lugones stated.
The clamor for funding for neighborhood and parish institutions that house young people in addiction recovery centers became a direct appeal to national authorities.
"We are asking for funding from the National Government for organizations that are supporting young people who are addicted to drugs," Lugones stated.
"We can't do it without state funding. We need it. We can't defund Sedronar because our support structure will collapse; we have no other resources," he explained, warning: "Drug traffickers do have the resources of money and money laundering."
In this line of demand for funding, those working in the diocesan Social Ministry repeat like a mantra: "If the state backs off, drug trafficking enters."
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