ARGENTINA: Rights lawyer condemns pope's stance during dictatorship as Vatican denies allegations

Record ID: 447286

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Rights lawyer condemns pope's stance during dictatorship as Vatican denies allegations
  • Date: 15th March 2013
  • Summary: LA PLATA, ARGENTINA (FILE - 2007) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRIAL OF PRIEST CHRISTIAN VON WERNICH, THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE ARGENTINE CHURCH CONVICTED OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY COMMITTED DURING THE DICTATORSHIP
  • Embargoed: 30th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics,Religion,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA3RL7SVW6CJB3CSN6Y3WQEITBZ
  • Story Text: Some Argentine activists are condemning Pope Francis for allegedly staying silent during systematic human rights abuses by the former military dictatorship as the Vatican on Friday (March 15) strongly denied those accusations.
    Critics of Jorge Bergoglio, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, allege that he failed to protect priests who challenged the dictatorship earlier in his career, during the 1976-1983 "dirty war", and that he has said too little about the complicity of the Church during military rule.
    The Vatican has issued a statement strongly denying critics' accusation, saying the comments are being used to attack the Church.
    Among Bergoglio's critics is Myriam Bergman, an attorney at the Professional Centre for Human Rights, who alleges that he had knowledge of kidnapped victims' whereabouts during the dictatorship, but did nothing to help them.
    During trials surrounding torture and killings in the School of Naval Mechanics - a detention centre used by the Argentine military dictatorship - Bergman represented the daughter of a "disappeared" writer. In 2010, Bergman questioned Bergoglio about two priests who were kidnapped by the dictatorship.
    "I could tell you that I have to mention one of the phrases that caused amazement in the room and that echoes in all of our minds is that he said he knew when Jalics and Yorio (kidnapped priests) left (after being detained in the School of Naval Mechanics) and they informed him that there were still kidnapped people in the School of Naval Mechanics. And the logical question was, 'And what did you do?' considering that he was one of the most important people in the Argentine Church. And he said, 'Nothing.' That is to say, he knew that there were kidnapped people in the ESMA (School of Naval Mechanics), he knew that they were there in that condition and his response was to do nothing," Bergman said Friday (March 15).
    Bergoglio, who led the Jesuit order in Argentina at the time, gave evidence at a major human rights trial that he asked junta leaders Jorge Rafael Videla and Emilio Massera to free the two priests, who were kidnapped and held for five months. And defenders of the new pope say he helped many dissidents flee.
    Bergman claimed Bergoglio was not forthcoming with information when asked to testify.
    "He was also summoned (to testify) in the trial involving the kidnapping of babies that was two years ago, after the ESMA (School of Naval Mechanics) case, the following year, and he refused to testify directly here, nor would he testify at the church. He sent his response by writing. This for us is important to emphasize, because they are incontrovertible facts, no one can say they are not because they are part of a court case that clearly demonstrates that he is not the humble person he wants to show. When he has been questioned, when he was tied to serious acts, when he was the one who had to give explanations, our experience has been that he was not humble," she said.
    On Friday (March 15), Father Jalics issued a statement in support of Pope Francis, saying he has no knowledge of any role Bergoglio played during the five months he was held and he long ago made peace with the events.
    The Argentine Church's reputation was tarnished by links between some high-ranking Roman Catholic clergymen and the military junta that kidnapped and killed up to 30,000 leftists.
    Roman Catholic priest Christian Von Wernich was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007 for involvement in torture, kidnapping and murder during Argentina's "dirty war," in the first trial of a clergyman for rights abuses under military rule.
    "Since 2007, Christian Federico Von Wernich has been condemned for genocide and having murdered people, for having tortured and he is in the Marcos Paz prison. This person (Von Wernich) continued to be a priest during all of his (Bergoglio's) time in charge of the church. Bergoglio did not exclude him from it (the priesthood) despite his (Von Wernich) having a firm conviction for being a repressor, a mass murderer. And we also know that that even within the prison, Von Wernich continued giving mass in his capacity as a priest," Bergman said.
    As rights activists have raised questions about the Church and Bergoglio's alleged role in the "dirty war," the Vatican on Friday issued a statement denying critics' accusations.
    A Vatican spokesman said the accusations reveal "anti-clerical left-wing elements" that are used to attack the Church.
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