MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine church calls government to improve “social cohesion and bring peace”

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio recalled John Paul II inspirational mediation in 1978/79

The Argentine Catholic Church called Wednesday on the government to improve “social cohesion and bring peace” to Argentines. At a conference headed by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to mark the 25th anniversary of a peace treaty between Argentina and Chile mediated by Pope John Paul II, the cardinal claimed the government “has the obligation to resolve all its controversies by the use of peaceful methods.”

Bergoglio asked the authorities to be “inspirers of the actions of the citizenry” and they should “adopt policies to improve cohesion and bring peace to the Argentine people” when the country is preparing to celebrate a jubilee

His comments came as the opposition is demanding that the government take action to tackle growing social unrest.

Earlier this year, the Pope Benedict 16th had sparked a strong controversy when he asked the government for policies to curb “scandalous poverty” in the country.

The cardinal also praised the mediation of John Paul II, who played a key role to prevent a war between Argentina and Chile over a border dispute.

“Argentines and Chileans will never be sufficiently grateful to God for having avoided the madness of war and kept the gift of peace. Maybe even today we haven’t really assessed the abyss to which we almost fell into. And possibly we haven’t fully assessed the broad fields opened to cooperation and integration for our peoples and how much we have benefited”.

The statement was done during the 98th Plenary Assembly of the Argentine Episcopal Conference which brings together all the country’s bishops and this year was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Peace and Friendship treaty between Argentina and Chile.

In this context the bishops recalled gratefully the figure of John Paul II who just elected for the post had the audacity of adopting the difficult task of mediator between Argentina and Chile, as he was requested, and naming Cardinal Antonio Samoré for the job.

Similarly the conference recalled with gratitude the Chilean and Argentine bishops of the time, particularly Cardinal Raul Francisco Primatesta whom in obstinate holiness for peace opened the only path left: the mediation of the Pope.

Finally looking from the distance the mediation of the Pope was more than a pacifying action between two litigating countries which started thirty years ago and concluded successfully half a century ago: “it must be seen as a perennial inspiration for high international politics”.