MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pope Francis wants South Atlantic to remain a region of peace

Mayor Pérez held an interesting talk with the “Pope from the End of the World” regarding the South Atlantic's importance

Pope Francis, the Argentine-born leader of the Catholic Church, urged Rio Grande Mayor Martín Pérez Wednesday in a private audience to defend with “much strength” the sovereignty of the South Atlantic and continue “working for peace” in that area, it was reported Thursday. The Pontiff highlighted the region's fundamental role in the “balance of the Common Home.”

Pérez and the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires “addressed the concern for the militarization of the South Atlantic, the impact of global disputes in Antarctica, and the need to preserve these territories as zones of peace,” according to a statement.

Francis also highlighted Tierra del Fuego's “strategic value” in the current context and stressed the importance of “building organized hope from local communities as a response to global challenges.”

“When I said I was the Pope of the End of the World, I did so inspired by an Argentine philosopher, Amelia Podetti. She taught me that things are better understood from the periphery than from the center,” argued Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who insisted on the need to work hard for the South Atlantic to be a territory of peace.

Next Monday, Francis is to welcome the Foreign Ministers of Argentina and Chile to celebrate the 40th anniversary (on Nov. 29) of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship brokered by then-Pope John Paul II's envoy, Cardinal Antonio Samore, who in 1978 mediated to avoid war between the two countries over sovereignty in the Beagle Channel.

Regarding the treaty, Francis stressed “the need to preserve the bonds of brotherhood and fraternity between both communities, understanding that the common challenges of both peoples must prevail, always with the objective of peace and unity.”

Pérez showed Francis details of the University Network for the Care of the Common Home (RUC) gathering to be held in Rio Grande in February 2025 to promote a comprehensive approach to the South Atlantic and Antarctica as strategic territories for sustainable development.

“The encyclicals Laudato Si' and Fratelli Tutti are fundamental documents to think about the challenges we face as humanity. They inspire us to make decisions and to promote actions that protect the Common Home,” Pérez underlined.

“The leadership of Pope Francis challenges us and summons us. Amid so much violence, inequality, and injustice, his message shows us a way to face the present and build the future,” he added.

In the framework of the 150 years of Salesian presence in Argentina, Pope Francis highlighted the historical role of the community in the Patagonian region, while the mayor took the opportunity to highlight the joint work that the Municipality of Rio Grande has been carrying out with the Salesian Mission in issues such as food sovereignty, employment generation and care for the environment. “His Holiness was very interested in this experience that we are carrying out in our city,” he also pointed out.