MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine bishops call on CFK to combat poverty and consolidate democracy

Argentina suffers of “dramatic poverty” claims Cardinal Bergoglio

The Argentine Catholic Church urged the government to combat the “dramatic” situation of the poor and demanded the authorities consolidate democratic institutions and defuse growing social unrest.

On Friday, the second and final day of the 98th Synod held in the Buenos Aires province district of Pilar and led by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio the bishops called for a fairer structure to consolidate a social, political and economic order with “more equality and inclusion”.

In the closing statement, Argentina's highest Church authority told the government that “democracy is not strengthened on the basis of conflicts on streets and roads.” He was thus reacting to comments made by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, CFK, administration suggesting that protests were motivated by political dissidents attempting to erode the legitimacy of the authorities.

Bergoglio had recently criticized the Kirchner administration for failing to do enough to fight growing poverty, which Pope Benedict XVI described as “scandalous.” The cardinal has been an open critic of the social policies of Social Security Minister (and sister in law of Cristina) Alicia Kirchner and has pressed the government to create a universal subsidy for the poor that could side step political leaders in the provinces in a move to avert patronage.

Bishops also subtly criticized the political system. Living in democracy requires permanent values and above all “respect for the Constitution and the rule of the law”, together with autonomy for the three branches of government “as the essential pillar of the Republic and functioning institutions”

The search for “personal and sector attainment must be harmonized with the search for the common good and always paying particular attention to the poorest and the neediest of our brothers”.

Bishops said they perceive a social climate distant from the dialogue and consensus “we humbly requested in our last ecclesiastic document”.

They underlined that “verbal and physical violence in politics and among the different social actors, the lack of respect towards people and institutions, the growing social unrest and conflicts, the disqualification of whoever thinks differently thus limiting free speech, are attitudes which strongly debilitate peace and the social texture”.

They also expressed growing concern with the “cruelty and dispraise for life in criminal violence, frequently linked to the consumption of drugs which not only cause pain and death to many families but also exposes the young to the risk of loosing their sense of existence”.

Finally bishops outlined “our view of the situation would be incomplete if we don’t point out at the root of the problem: the cultural, moral and religious crisis in which we are immersed”.