✅ Sacerdotes argentinos respaldan al Papa ante las críticas del candidato presidencial Javier Milei

Twenty Argentine priests from poor neighborhoods defended Pope Francis on Tuesday during a mass against the criticisms of far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei, who described him as a «pauperizing» communist who represents the devil on Earth.

In a crowded open-air mass, the Villeros Priests Team, close to the Argentine pontiff, denounced the insults and questioning that the leader of the Catholic Church has received in recent years from Milei, a liberal economist who is favored in the elections on October 22.

They also defended the Pope for being a defender of the Church’s social doctrine. Father José María Di Paola said that it is «unworthy of a candidate» to speak «about the bullshit of social justice… when social justice comes from the gospel, when it is love for one’s neighbor».

The celebration took place at the door of the Virgen de los Milagros de Caacupé parish, in a marginalized neighborhood located south of the capital, less than two months before the elections that can mark a drastic political change in Argentina with the arrival of a leader who considers traditional politicians as members of a privileged caste and current state policies directed at impoverished sectors as a «robbery» against society.

Near the temple facilities, which were frequently visited by Jorge Bergoglio when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires to celebrate baptisms and communions, there was a large banner that read: «In solidarity with the pope and the poor».

«One ends up wondering if someone with such emotional disorder (referring to Milei), who cannot meet with those who think differently without shouting and insulting, can withstand the tensions inherent in the public office he aspires to,» the priests said in a statement they read at the end of the mass.

They also emphasized the importance of «the presence of the State that accompanies growth and development,» which Milei rejects, as he supports almost no state intervention.

«Deifying the market leads to dehumanization through the forgetting of the most vulnerable. If you only wake up lions, it is logical that they will devour the most defenseless lambs,» the priests warned.

Milei shouted in interviews several years ago, when he was a media economist and had not yet entered politics, that Francis «is the representative of evil on Earth occupying the throne of God’s house» and that he promotes communism «with all the disasters it has caused, which goes against the Holy Scriptures».

The current presidential candidate also stated that «we should inform the idiot in Rome who defends social justice that it is theft and that it goes against the commandments.» On other occasions, he hurled strong insults against him.

In the days following the open and mandatory primaries in August, in which Milei was the most voted candidate, the economist toned down his criticisms by stating that, if he were to come to power, he would respect Bergoglio as «the head of the Catholic Church.»

He also said that if the pope decides to visit Argentina, the reception would be «in accordance with the head of state» and called him the «spiritual leader» of the majority of Argentines.

Milei has stated on occasion that he does not identify with the Catholic Church as an institution and that the only aspect in which he agrees with the pontiff is his rejection of abortion, which was legalized in Argentina at the end of 2020.

The mass of reparation was attended by at least a dozen priests working in marginalized neighborhoods, union leaders, human rights organization leaders, and officials from Peronism, the political force that is betting on staying in power. It also received the support of the archbishop of Buenos Aires.

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