An Argentinian Bishop Speaks

Don't miss this article by Argentine bishop Archbishop Héctor Aguer, archbishop emeritus of LaPlata. Don't you wonder what he could tell us about Pope Francis if he chose to? Here's the beginning:

The twelfth anniversary of Francis’ pontificate was recently celebrated. Vatican press releases are usually full of self-praise. It is very difficult to adjudicate ecclesial reality, which is incredibly vast and characterized by differences between countries, but from a certain vantage point it is possible to contemplate the surroundings. I can do it then from this corner of the far south that is Argentina, a nation that is (or was?) mostly Catholic. As the saying goes, “one example is enough to prove it.”

The decline of the Church is obvious. The bishops have their heads in the clouds. The seminaries are populated by young people whose numbers can be counted on one hand. There is even a 100-year-old seminary in which not a single seminarian has entered in 2025! Vocations are not appearing. The command of Christ – to make disciples of all nations (pánta ta éthne) – has yet to be fulfilled. Where are the apostles? People are bewildered, and many faithful feel a longing for better times.

I think the two laments of Pope Paul VI are still valid: “We expected after the Second Vatican Council a flourishing springtime, and a harsh winter came,” and “Through some crack the smoke of Satan has seeped into the temple of God.” Ecclesial presence in society is strictly limited, but journalists notice it because they recognize from a historical perspective that the Catholic Church has always been something official in Argentina. We are considered to be a Catholic country. But baptisms do not exist and the birth rate has plummeted – in 2023 there were 460,902 recorded births, the lowest figure of the last 50 years! And marriage no longer exists – now there are “partners.” The public presence of the Church is nonexistent; it only filters through the media when political judgments are made, especially against the government. [Continue reading here.]

We need more bishops willing to speak the truth. The "Springtime of the Church" has turned out to be a winter of, not only discontent, but tragedy. Pray for the Church and especially for all those bishops who are standing on the brink of the abyss. Pray for their conversion that they will not fall into the hell they try to convince us is empty.