The procession of the
Virgin of the Valley
that took place this Sunday through the streets of Catamarca and was followed by thousands of faithful was surrounded by
great controversy
. What happened? On the mantle of the Virgin that was blessed by Bishop Luis Urbanc,
they embroidered the image of the meeting of President Javier Milei with Pope Francis.
Precisely, the provincial bishop was the
architect of the gift given to the Secretary of Worship
of the Nation, Francisco Sánchez. The action brought with it a
real scandal
with criticism from the opposition political circle and mixed reactions on the networks.
Urbanc
had already promoted the visit of Vice President
Victoria Villarruel
last week to the province, and at that time she blessed at the morning mass the replica that has Milei and Pope Francis hugging embroidered on her cloak.
But this presentation, which took place on the day of the procession of the Virgin, provoked different reactions. “Between indignation and deep sadness.
Mr. Bishop, do not mix politics with the Virgin of all Catamarcans
,” the president of the local PJ and Kirchnerist national senator Lucía Corpacci posted on her networks. The post was accompanied by a photo showing the Virgin during the ceremony.
Between indignation and deep sadness...Mr. Bishop does not mix politics with the Virgin of all Catamarqueños. pic.twitter.com/72vxwIz0bk
— Lucía Corpacci (@LuciaCorpacci) April 14, 2024
Although the initiative to embroider the image of the Pope and the President was from
a group of women who are dedicated to embroidering
cloaks, the controversy was generated by the participation of the Bishopric in a religious act that had
obvious political overtones
.
In another of the posts, Corpacci added, with grist for the mill of his agenda K. “It is
incredible and terrifying
, not only what he said about the Pope; It is the cause of thousands of layoffs, the one that proclaims to close public universities, the one that cuts resources for children, the cafeterias, deprives the elderly of their medicines, the one that does not allow oncology drugs to be purchased for those who do not have , the one who
makes hate his flag; “Poor Virgin
, what they subjected her to,” the senator added.
Representative
Cecilia Guerrero
was another of the voices that showed her discontent: "It seems like a joke, but painfully it is not." And he attacked the bishop's initiative: "Only in the 'Urbanc' world can these things happen: the embroidery of the Virgin's mantle with the figure of someone who considered the Pope to be the
evil representative
of the Earth," he recalled and concluded: " "No one has ever been so encouraged!"
Adriana Díaz, deputy of the Intransigent Party also wrote: "The healthiest thing for a democratic system is the separation of interests between the Church and the State. That the Bishop blesses a mantle
made especially for Milei
in the middle of a religious ceremony is at least
out of place .
"
, published in X.
Among the hundreds of comments detracting from the ruling party on the networks, several of them recalled that
there was never an image of any President in the mantle of the Virgin
. "It is not necessary for that hug to be on a sacred mantle. With the photo and video, it is unnecessary," was one of the critics.
"The church does anything to maintain subsidies. Why mix a political figure with something so ours?" another user from Catamarca complained on X.
The bishop's arguments and what the person responsible for embroidering Milei on the mantle said
Faced with a barrage of criticism, the newspaper
El Esquiú
reproduced
the bishop's explanations
. "The initiative came from a group of women who embroider these cloaks, dedicating hours to this task, people who donate materials such as fabric, ornaments and stones. The crown was also made by a man from here, in Catamarca.
They had the intuition
, they have felt inside, in the face of the difficulties that our Country is experiencing, to make this replica image to donate it to the President of the Nation,” Urbanc argued.
“Mr. Francisco Sánchez, Secretary of Worship,
is going to take it on behalf of the people
of Catamarca. We will pray that by entrusting herself to Her she can make the decisions that are so needed for our Country," continued the Catamarca bishop, defending the gesture.
The shower of criticism also fell on those responsible for making the dress and mantle that the Virgin of the Valley wore during the procession. “That meeting was embroidered on the dress to remember that our Holy Pastor is praying for him (Milei),
a brother and compatriot
, to bring our Nation to the dignity it deserves,” explained Graciela Díaz, who is in charge of the Workshop. María, place where the embroidery was done.
In dialogue with the newspaper
El Ancasti
, the woman
dismissed the criticism
and confided that it was a priest from Catamarca who told her that "the Pope's hug with Milei
is a sign of forgiveness
."
According to the local media, the design itself was
designed by three priests
: Juan Sebastián Vallejo Agostini, from Buenos Aires; Oscar Bourlot, from Gualeguaychú; and Mario Gustavo Molas, from Catamarca.
The work was prepared and created by Graciela de Carrizo, with the participation of collaborators Estela Rodríguez, Laura Soria, Irene Pereyra and Mónica Aragón. In addition to the hug, the mantle has
shields that represent the provinces
and several images linked to Catholic doctrine.
D.S.