Kirchner rejects meeting the Argentine Catholic Church
By Tony Pagliaro
15.12.05 | A month ago, the Argentine Bishops Conference of the Roman Catholic Church, led by the respected Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, requested to meet leftist President Néstor Kirchner. Said meeting has not taken place and Kirchner is simply saying that he does not accept Church’s views in the world of “politics” where only him can call the shots.
In the meantime, Kirchner continues preaching the need for constant “class struggle”, dividing -like never before- Argentine society. Confronted with this daily reality, the Bishops, once again, stated yesterday that it is necessary that Kirchner’s government stops feeding resentment and hatred on an across the board basis.
Kirchner is a rather strange political “fundamentalist”, pledged to “populist resurgence” through violence and authoritarianism. He is constantly attempting to create blueprints for tomorrow through a false and mythic reinterpretation of Argentina’s past. In fact, he seems to be a “living museum of the past”, unable to lead looking forward and always describing reality not as reality is, but as he would like reality to be. Kirchner is building a new popular movement (like his pal Hugo Chávez) based more on “social mobilization” than in a political party. He definitely dislikes both liberalism and democracy, and his on going efforts (led by his also anti-democratic wife “Cristina”) to closely dominate the Judiciary are only confirming the worse fears of those who believe that the trend in Argentina is unavoidably moving in the direction of authoritarianism.
To understand what is going on one has to realize that his closest collaborators are most former guerrilla members of the 70’s. Most were “Montoneros”, i.e. members of an armed band which killed many innocent civilians in the 70’s. But other were ERP participants, i.e. former Marxist guerrilla members.
“Montoneros” started with the kidnap and murder of former President Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, in May 1970. At that time “Montoneros” were mostly radical Catholics who acted following the so-called “Liberation Theology” and claimed to be also Socialists. They were fighting (then and now) an idealistic “anti-imperialistic” revolution of “national liberation”. These people are those who now promote authoritarianism in the name of justice (their notion of justice, of course). Just like Fidel Castro, or Hugo Chávez. In a different environment, maybe. But with a shared “vision” of the world and similar tools. Nobody should be surprised taking into account who are Néstor Kirchner close associates.
Both the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence are in the hands of former guerrilla leaders who are living in complete impunity. A unique case in the world’s scenario.
No wonder why the Argentine Catholic Church is, again and again, expressing its growing concern with the “direction” in which Kirchner is “leading” (pushing) Argentina. The Church is perfectly aware of who Kirchner and his closest associates are.
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