Praying for Pope Francis: A Gathering of Faithful in Buenos Aires
Thousands of Argentinians gathered on Monday for a Mass presided by Archbishop García Cuerva in Plaza Constitución, where then Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio denounced corruption and the country’s struggles in many speeches and homilies.
By Silvina Oranges – Buenos Aires
A multitude of faithful gathered on Monday afternoon in Buenos Aires to pray for Pope Francis’ health during a Mass celebrated in Plaza Constitución, where Jorge Bergoglio had often presided over celebrations when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
“May our prayer be the breath of air that Pope Francis’ lungs need. Do not slow down. We need you very much,” said the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, during the homily for the outdoor liturgy, held under a clear sky after a day of heavy rain.
Celebration in a Symbolic Place
The Mass was concelebrated by the Auxiliary Bishops of Buenos Aires, the Archbishop of La Plata, Monsignor Gustavo Carrara, the former head of the episcopate, Monsignor Oscar Ojea, the Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Buenos Aires, Mario Poli, and dozens of priests, including Guillermo Marcó, Bergoglio’s former spokesperson in Buenos Aires.
Also present were several Argentinian political and social figures including government officials such as the Security Minister, Waldo Wolff.
Plaza Constitución is an emblematic point in Buenos Aires, where hundreds of thousands of workers from the Buenos Aires province commute daily.
It was also the place Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose—during his years as Archbishop of the city—to celebrate Masses and denounce corruption, human trafficking, and drug trafficking.
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, presiding the Mass in Plaza Constitución
A Crowded Square
With significant media presence from both national and international outlets, young people from “Casas de Cristo” (Houses of Christ), a project aimed at rehabilitating youth from addiction, also participated.
Alongside them were workers finishing their shifts, families, nuns from various congregations, and a delegation from the “Unión de Trabajadores de la Economía Popular” (UTEP), who held banners reading “Land, Roof, Work”—the very things Pope Francis has advocated for the poor worldwide.
Volunteer firefighters from the San Telmo and Flores districts also attended, arriving with their fire trucks and sounding their sirens at the end of the celebration while the faithful shouted, “Long live the Pope.”
“We are in this square, where more than once Bergoglio has said that many turn a deaf ear and refuse to hear the cries of the victims of injustice and exclusion, a square where many seem mute and choose not to speak about what is happening, about the many faces that express deep marginalization,” said García Cuerva during the homily.
He paraphrased Bergoglio’s past words: “Human trafficking and drug-related organizations turn this into a factory of slaves, a meat grinder.”
Standing with the Pope
In another part of his homily, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires referred to the “lies and slander” that Pope Francis has suffered during his pontificate and invited the congregation to ask God for forgiveness for the times “we have accused and tarnished his honour.”
Meanwhile, Argentine flags, images, and prayer cards of the Virgin of Luján, along with lit candles, multiplied among the crowd, that continued chanting “Long live the Pope,” hoping their voices would reach Rome, where the Argentine Pope is now in his twelfth day of hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital.
People attending the Mass in Buenos Aires
