MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Church concerned with “social tension and coexistence problems”

Stormy relations between the Kirchner couple and Cardinal Bergoglio

The Argentine Catholic Church showed their “great concern” on “the social tension and coexistence problems” in the country and demanded “consensus and dialogue” during the opening of this year's last plenary of Bishops at Pilar district, Buenos Aires province.

The Episcopal spokesman Jorge Oesterherld said that the Church insists on a dialogue policy because it “concerns the bishops.” He used words as “co-existence difficulties”, “discord” and “intolerance” to describe the current Argentine situation.

Oesterherld showed the Church's support on the government's child allowances plan, but said that they have “some differences” about the way of applying it.

“We would have liked the initiative to have been approved as a bill and not a decree, because doubts are natural regarding its implementation, particularly if such a noble instrument is not be prey of political patronizing”, added Oesterherld.

On Tuesday the bishops plenary is scheduled to listen to the report from the Social pastoral from the Episcopal Commission that will address, among others, two controversial issues of the Argentine political agenda: the allowances plan and the political reform project sent to Congress for its discussion.

Te report will be delivered by Monsignor Jorge Casaretto who has repeatedly clashed with the Kirchner couple administrations over poverty and indigence statistics and indexes.

The 98 Argentine Episcopal Conference Assembly will last until Saturday and it is headed by Buenos Aires Cardinal-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio.