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Herald Malaysia
10-08-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo remembers Cardinal Karlic, a faithful shepherd who loved the Church
In a telegram of condolence for the death of Argentine Cardinal Cardinal Estanislao Esteban Karlic, Archbishop Emeritus of Paraná, Pope Leo XIV recalls his life in the service of God and the Church, 'bringing the light of the Gospel to various areas of life and culture,' and his contribution to the Aug 10, 2025 Cardinal Estanislao Esteban Karlic, Archbishop Emeritus of Paraná, Argentina (1926-2025) VATICAN: Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences on the death on Friday 8 August of Argentine Cardinal Estanislao Esteban Karlic through a telegram addressed to Archbishop Raúl Martín of Paraná in Argentina. The late Cardinal had served this diocese, as well as the Diocese of Córdoba, as priest and bishop. The Pope wished to express his closeness 'to all those who are part of that beloved ecclesial community,' who are remembering 'this generous and upright shepherd.' Bringing the light of the Gospel to life and culture 'For many years, and with great fidelity, he dedicated his life to the service of God and the Church,' writes the Pope, 'bringing the light of the Gospel to various areas of life and culture.' The Cardinal died at the age of 99. He led the Argentine Episcopal Conference for two consecutive terms and welcomed Saint John Paul II during his apostolic visit to the Latin American country. Generous service to the universal Church 'Among the many responsibilities and pastoral initiatives at the local, national, and continental levels,' Pope Leo further notes, 'he generously offered himself in the service of the universal Church by collaborating on the drafting of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.' The Pope gave thanks to God 'for his life of faith and deep love for the Church,' while joining in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul, 'that the Lord Jesus may grant him the unfading crown of glory.' --Vatican News
New York Post
26-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Why did Pope Francis not return home to Argentina during his papacy?
Pope Francis traveled around the world during his 12-year papacy, stopping in 68 countries with 47 Apostolic Visits but never returned to his native Argentina. Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires who died Monday at the age of 88, didn't make the return to his motherland despite signaling early on his desires. The 266th pontiff, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the Flores neighborhood of the Argentinian capital, never publicly spoke about his failure to return to the South American country. 9 Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio presides over a mass outside the San Cayetano church with an Argentine flag hanging behind him in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Aug. 7, 2009. AP Francis had an open invitation to visit Argentina from all four presidents who served during his papacy since 2013, along with the Argentine Episcopal Conference. Fears of causing larger political and economic rifts in the country were reportedly a significant factor in why Francis chose not to return to Argentina as he didn't want to be a divisive figure back home. 'It's sad, because we should have been proud to have an Argentine pope,' Francis' childhood neighbor Ardina Aragon told The Associated Press. 'I think there were political factors that influenced him.' When he left for the Vatican in March 2013 to take part in the conclave after Pope Benedict XVI's surprise resignation, Francis believed he would return shortly, telling parishioners, 'see you soon.' Francis, a Jesuit, clashed with the Argentinian political class dating back to when he was an archbishop. 9 Pope Francis meets with Argentinian President Javier Milei at the Vatican on Feb. 11, 2024. AP 9 A picture of Pope Francis sits on display inside Buenos Aires' Metropolitan Cathedral during a mass led by Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Ignacio Garcia Cuerva on April 21, 2025. REUTERS He criticized the 'autocratic tendencies' of the country's political class, a dig that then President Néstor Kirchner and his wife, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner did not take kindly. Francis at the time supported the Catholic Church's stance on same sex marriage, which caused furor with Fernandez de Kirchner who legalized it in 2010. Francis also didn't see eye-to-eye with Argentina's current President, Javier Milei, after the former TV personality called the pope an 'imbecile' and 'the representative of the Evil One on Earth' before taking office. 9 A photo of Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires after hi on April 21, 2025. AP 9 Pope Francis meets with soccer legend Diego Maradona at Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, on Sept. 1, 2014. Getty Images Milei also slammed the pope for promoting social justice, supporting taxes and sympathizing with 'murderous communists.' In 2024, the two embraced inside the Vatican before the canonization mass of Argentina's first female saint, María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa in what was characterized as a 'cordial meeting.' Francis's attempt to separate himself from Argentina may have caused his favorability to drop among his countrymen. 9 A mural of Pope Francis sits on the side of a building in La Tablada, Buenos Aires on Feb. 19, 2025. REUTERS 9 An Argentinian flag is waved in the crowd as Pope Francis drives past thousands of faithful during his visit to Cuba on Sept. 20, 2015. AP In a common trend among several Latin American countries and the US, Francis' popularity dropped throughout his term in Vatican City, but saw the largest decrease in his home country. A Pew Research poll found 91 percent of Argentinians held a favorable opinion of him when he was first elected to the papacy in 2013. In September 2024, the figure fell to 64 percent. Thirty percent of adults had unfavorable opinions towards Francis, a steep rise from the three percent in 2013. Although he never visited Argentina, Francis returned to South America when he visited Brazil in the first months of his papacy during his first overseas trip in July 2013. He visited four of the five nations that border Argentina – Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay. Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, Francis' successor at his former diocese, said his parishioners became 'orphans of a father who profoundly loved his country and had to learn to become the father of the whole world.' 9 Pope Francis waves to faithful as he arrives for his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2025. AP 9 Pope Francis body is laid inside a single coffin, dressed in papal vestments before his public viewing at the Vatican on April 21, 2025. VATICAN MEDIA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock He added that 'Francis becoming Pope 'cost us as Argentines a little bit… Bergoglio left us to become Francis.'
NDTV
22-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Pope Francis' Delicate Ties With Politics In Argentina
Pope Francis navigated a complex relationship with politics in Argentina, a juggling act observers say explains why he never once returned to the country that informed his love for the downtrodden, for tango and soccer. "See you soon," then cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was reported as declaring as he left Buenos Aires in 2013 to take up his papal duties at the Vatican. In the years to follow, the pontiff undertook dozens of foreign visits, including trips in South America to Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. But he never returned to the beloved city where he was schooled and baptized, where he first felt the call to fight for the underprivileged, and where he fell in love with the San Lorenzo football club -- of which he was the most famous fan. His every action and statement was "the subject of partisan interpretations" in a country deeply polarized along political lines, papal biographer Sergio Rubin told AFP in 2023. And visiting under any particular president would have been interpreted as a political blessing. "It's not easy. One has to deal very carefully with the political leadership here" in Argentina, activist and writer Adolfo Perez Esquivel, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said of the pope's tightrope walk. 'Leader of the opposition' Already as archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998, and later as head of the Argentine Episcopal Conference -- the top order of bishops -- Bergoglio was a vocal critic of those people and systems he saw as oppressors of the poor. This brought him in conflict with some politicians, prompting the former president Nestor Kirchner to once call Bergoglio "the spiritual leader of the opposition." When first named pontiff, Bergoglio was accused of having had ties with the South American country's 1976-83 military dictatorship, when he was a provincial superior of the Catholic Church. Two Jesuit priests were detained and tortured during this time, but it was later proved that, contrary to allegations that he had been complicit, Bergoglio had intervened on their behalf. As pope, he was never shy to speak his mind, earning him the ire of some politicians -- some of whom considered him a rival. Francis clashed with successive presidents on the left and right over corruption, populism and social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. 'Political mind' The pope, his biographer Rubin said, was "a man with a political mind" and "a vocation for dialogue." This was perhaps never more evident than in his dealings with Javier Milei, who before taking office as Argentine president in late 2023 accused the pope of political interference and called him an "imbecile" who "promotes communism." Milei subsequently apologized and was received at the Vatican two months after his election. Photos showed the fellow Argentines smiling and embracing. The church and state in Argentina, though legally separated, remain closely aligned. Until a constitutional reform of 1994, only Catholics had the right to become president. Regardless of their faith or politics, Pope Francis received a succession of Argentine presidents at the Vatican. "Yes, I am doing politics. Because everybody has to do politics. Christian people have to do politics. When we read what Jesus said, we see that he was doing politics," he said in 2023. This did not mean picking sides, the pope hastened to add. Many Argentines nevertheless viewed him as a leftist -- even on the side of "Peronism," the populist socialist movement named after Juan Domingo Peron that dominated Argentine politics for decades. The pontiff was quoted in 2023 as saying his "writings about social justice led to claims that I am Peronist," but he added, "asserting that is a lie." Political or not, the pope has consistently advocated for governments to do more to protect and uplift the most vulnerable. "The state, today more important than ever, is called upon to exercise this central role of redistribution and social justice," he said in a video issued shortly after he received Milei at the Vatican in 2024.
The Sun
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Pope Francis's delicate ties with politics in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES: Pope Francis navigated a complex relationship with politics in Argentina, a juggling act observers say explains why he never once returned to the country that informed his love for the downtrodden, for tango and for soccer. 'See you soon,' then cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was reported as declaring as he left Buenos Aires in 2013 to take up his papal duties at the Vatican. In the years to follow, the pontiff undertook dozens of foreign visits, including trips in South America to Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. But he never returned to the beloved city where he was schooled and baptized, where he first felt the call to fight for the underprivileged, and where he fell in love with the San Lorenzo football club -- of which he was the most famous fan. His every action and statement was 'the subject of partisan interpretations' in a country deeply polarized along political lines, papal biographer Sergio Rubin told AFP in 2023. And visiting under any particular president would have been interpreted as a political blessing. 'It's not easy. One has to deal very carefully with the political leadership here' in Argentina, activist and writer Adolfo Perez Esquivel, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said of the pope's tightrope walk. - 'Leader of the opposition' - Already as archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998, and later as head of the Argentine Episcopal Conference -- the top order of bishops -- Bergoglio was a vocal critic of those people and systems he saw as oppressors of the poor. This brought him in conflict with some politicians, prompting the former president Nestor Kirchner to once call Bergoglio 'the spiritual leader of the opposition.' When first named pontiff, Bergoglio was accused of having had ties with the South American country's 1976-83 military dictatorship, when he was a provincial superior of the Catholic Church. Two Jesuit priests were detained and tortured during this time, but it was later proved that, contrary to allegations that he had been complicit, Bergoglio had intervened on their behalf. As pope, he was never shy to speak his mind, earning him the ire of some politicians -- some of whom considered him a rival. Francis clashed with successive presidents on the left and right over corruption, populism and social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. - 'Political mind' - The pope, his biographer Rubin said, was 'a man with a political mind' and 'a vocation for dialogue.' This was perhaps never more evident than in his dealings with Javier Milei, who before taking office as Argentine president in late 2023 accused the pope of political interference and called him an 'imbecile' who 'promotes communism.' Milei subsequently apologized and was received at the Vatican two months after his election. Photos showed the fellow Argentines smiling and embracing. The church and state in Argentina, though legally separated, remain closely aligned. Until a constitutional reform of 1994, only Catholics had the right to become president. Regardless of their faith or politics, Pope Francis received a succession of Argentine presidents at the Vatican. 'Yes, I am doing politics. Because everybody has to do politics. Christian people have to do politics. When we read what Jesus said, we see that he was doing politics,' he said in 2023. This did not mean picking sides, the pope hastened to add. Many Argentines nevertheless viewed him as a leftist -- even on the side of 'Peronism,' the populist socialist movement named after Juan Domingo Peron that dominated Argentine politics for decades. The pontiff was quoted in 2023 as saying his 'writings about social justice led to claims that I am Peronist,' but he added, 'asserting that is a lie.' Political or not, the pope has consistently advocated for governments to do more to protect and uplift the most vulnerable. 'The state, today more important than ever, is called upon to exercise this central role of redistribution and social justice,' he said in a video issued shortly after he received Milei at the Vatican in 2024.
Int'l Business Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Pope Francis's Delicate Ties With Politics In Argentina
Pope Francis navigated a complex relationship with politics in Argentina, a juggling act observers say explains why he never once returned to the country that informed his love for the downtrodden, for tango and for soccer. "See you soon," then cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was reported as declaring as he left Buenos Aires in 2013 to take up his papal duties at the Vatican. In the years to follow, the pontiff undertook dozens of foreign visits, including trips in South America to Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. But he never returned to the beloved city where he was schooled and baptized, where he first felt the call to fight for the underprivileged, and where he fell in love with the San Lorenzo football club -- of which he was the most famous fan. His every action and statement was "the subject of partisan interpretations" in a country deeply polarized along political lines, papal biographer Sergio Rubin told AFP in 2023. And visiting under any particular president would have been interpreted as a political blessing. "It's not easy. One has to deal very carefully with the political leadership here" in Argentina, activist and writer Adolfo Perez Esquivel, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said of the pope's tightrope walk. Already as archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998, and later as head of the Argentine Episcopal Conference -- the top order of bishops -- Bergoglio was a vocal critic of those people and systems he saw as oppressors of the poor. This brought him in conflict with some politicians, prompting the former president Nestor Kirchner to once call Bergoglio "the spiritual leader of the opposition." When first named pontiff, Bergoglio was accused of having had ties with the South American country's 1976-83 military dictatorship, when he was a provincial superior of the Catholic Church. Two Jesuit priests were detained and tortured during this time, but it was later proved that, contrary to allegations that he had been complicit, Bergoglio had intervened on their behalf. As pope, he was never shy to speak his mind, earning him the ire of some politicians -- some of whom considered him a rival. Francis clashed with successive presidents on the left and right over corruption, populism and social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. The pope, his biographer Rubin said, was "a man with a political mind" and "a vocation for dialogue." This was perhaps never more evident than in his dealings with Javier Milei, who before taking office as Argentine president in late 2023 accused the pope of political interference and called him an "imbecile" who "promotes communism." Milei subsequently apologized and was received at the Vatican two months after his election. Photos showed the fellow Argentines smiling and embracing. The church and state in Argentina, though legally separated, remain closely aligned. Until a constitutional reform of 1994, only Catholics had the right to become president. Regardless of their faith or politics, Pope Francis received a succession of Argentine presidents at the Vatican. "Yes, I am doing politics. Because everybody has to do politics. Christian people have to do politics. When we read what Jesus said, we see that he was doing politics," he said in 2023. This did not mean picking sides, the pope hastened to add. Many Argentines nevertheless viewed him as a leftist -- even on the side of "Peronism," the populist socialist movement named after Juan Domingo Peron that dominated Argentine politics for decades. The pontiff was quoted in 2023 as saying his "writings about social justice led to claims that I am Peronist," but he added, "asserting that is a lie." Political or not, the pope has consistently advocated for governments to do more to protect and uplift the most vulnerable. "The state, today more important than ever, is called upon to exercise this central role of redistribution and social justice," he said in a video issued shortly after he received Milei at the Vatican in 2024. The Basilica San Jose de Flores in Buenos Aires held mass to pray for the pope's health in February 2025. AFP
