” “Solidarity with our Argentine brothers

The Spanish Church is intervening to help Argentina. In recent days Msgr. Luis Héctor Villalba , archbishop of Tucumán, had a meeting in Spain with Cardinal Rouco Varela, president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference. Concrete solidarity with Argentina was also expressed in the final communiqué of the permanent Episcopal Council (Madrid, 29-30 January). Spanish Caritas has also announced that it will organize a fund-collecting campaign on behalf of Argentina on 24 February, while the NGO “Mensageros por la Paz” is collecting medicines and non-perishable foodstuffs. We interviewed Cardinal Villalba on the aid programme for Argentina. The Argentine Church is playing an important role in the present crisis. Why did you accept this role of mediation? “Above all due to the grave situation in which Argentina finds itself. This obliges us to play an active role if it is asked of us. It’s also because a major problem in this crisis is people’s mistrust in the country’s ruling class, The Church has great credibility among the population and this may help to re-establish dialogue between the social partners”. In fact you are proposing dialogue as a means to resolve the situation… “Yes of course, our role is that of promoting dialogue between the social, economic and political partners, offering a spiritual dimension, a space for concertation, so that everyone may recognize their own errors and adopt a profound change of mentality and conduct. So it’s not really a role of mediation. The Church does not have an opinion to offer to solve the specific problems of Argentina today: it’s not our job to decide on technical solutions or even to act as a moderator in negotiations, a role that must be played by a UN envoy. We want to bring home to politicians, trades-unions and businessmen the need for them to dialogue and to abandon the practice of defending only their own particular interests, because what is at stake is the common good of the whole Argentine people”. What lies at the origin of the corruption of the political class? “The crisis has only now exploded, but the problem has existed for a long time. For over two years now the Argentine episcopate has been ringing the alarm bells and appealing to magnanimity, integrity, dialogue and the pursuit of the common good to overcome the generalized corruption, the rapid enrichment that generates poverty and disadvantage, the lack of the independence of the judiciary… Indeed, the debasement of the fundamental values of the ruling class has spread downwards to the whole of society, which has thus become co-responsible for the situation. Below the economic, political and institutional crisis there is a moral crisis. We must reform our personal and social behaviour, basing ourselves on the inalienable values that God has instilled in the human heart”. You’ve asked for the support of the Spanish government. How necessary is this aid ? “We want the help of the Spanish premier, since he is currently president of the EU, to obtain a fair treatment in international economic relations, without which Argentina will not be able to fulfil its national and international commitments. But we also believe that foreign, European and international aid is of fundamental importance for guaranteeing the stability of democracy, the safeguard of human rights and the peace of the whole region. The crisis is on such a scale that it won’t be possible to overcome it without the help of governments and institutions”. And you’ve also made an appeal to the Spanish Church… “We have an urgent need for food and medicines. In Argentina there are millions of impoverished people who have no social protection, no health care; even the middle classes are beginning to suffer from the consequences of the crisis. I have to acknowledge that Spanish society is rallying in support. Even a part of the ticket sales of a premier league soccer match has been donated”.