Pope's pick in Argentina delights slum priests, alarms conservatives

Eduardo Campos Lima
By Eduardo Campos Lima
Jun 1, 2023
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Contributor



Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires. (Credit: Screen capture.)

SÃO PAULO – Appointed as the new Archbishop of Buenos Aires by Pope Francis on May 26, Jorge García Cuerva has a vast experience with the poor in Argentina.

For years, García Cuerva worked with inmates, drug addicts, and slum residents. That background has some Catholics excited, especially the so-called curas villeros (“slum priests”), while conservatives fear the politicization of the Church.

After García Cuerva’s appointment, a video of him celebrating Mass in 2016 went viral in the South American country. The clip shows him defending Peronism during a homily and combining political and Biblical remarks.

Since the video of the 2016 celebration went viral, García Cuerva has drawn criticism from many in the Church. In a story published by the leading Argentine newspaper La Nación, an unidentified bishop said his remarks were “unfortunate and imprudent” and that they intensify the political divide in Argentina.

More:
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2023/06/popes-pick-in-argentina-delights-slum-priests-alarms-conservatives