Catholic Church in Argentina: Buenos Aires handed over the title of Primate See to Santiago del Estero

With a Mass in the metropolitan cathedral, the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires expressed its thanksgiving for the 85 years of being the primal seat of Argentina, a title that Pope Francis decided to transfer the diocese of Santiago del Esteroin a gesture of “historical reparation” for having been there where for the first time in 1570, a successor of the apostles announced the Gospel in the South American country.

The Eucharist was presided over by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Mons. Jorge García Cuerva, and was attended by who will be the Primate Archbishop, Mons. Vicente Bokalic; the Apostolic Nuncio, Mons. Miroslaw Adamczyk; Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, Archbishop Emeritus of Buenos Aires; the President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Mons. Oscar Ojea; and the six auxiliary bishops of Buenos Aires.

In his homily, Bishop García Cuerva warned about the danger of “measuring pastoral success based on numbers.” If so, he observed, “Jesus was an absolute failure. From 5,000 in the same chapter 6 of John it went to 12”, he pointed out, in reference to those who followed him in the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and who later continued at his side.

“But Jesus doesn’t care about numbers. He cares about fulfilling the Father’s mission. He cares about being faithful to the Kingdom project. For this reason, although people abandon him today, Jesus continues to insist that He is the bread of life, who comes to satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart,” he highlighted.

“Today we also want to choose Jesus and we do it in the context of this Mass in which the transfer of the primal title from Buenos Aires to Santiago del Estero is celebrated. This title of Primate Church that we repeat a thousand times, which is the first that was historically founded in Argentina and was in Santiago territory in 1570,” said Mons. García Cuerva.

“Today we also choose. We choose the historical truth: Santiago del Estero is the oldest diocese, that is why it is the first. “We chose to provide information with data in the face of the wild speculation that tried to interpret the Holy Father and to look for the fifth paw of the cat, trying to find speculations as to why the Holy Father decided this,” he indicated.

“We choose the information, the historical data and not the pseudo-interpretation of some. And we also chose fraternity, because some saw here an intention to devalue Buenos Aires, in reality what we chose is fraternity. They are not going to fight us in Buenos Aires with the interior, they are not going to fight us in Santiago del Estero with Buenos Aires, let them be left with the desire,” he stated.

“We are brothers, we are church, we choose fraternity, we choose the culture of encounter, we choose to build bridges. Ultimately, we choose Jesus, we choose together to build his life project,” he summarized.

“May this step in which we choose historical truth, may this step in which we choose fraternity, also be a step for all of us to once again choose fidelity to Jesus and his kingdom project,” he prayed.

The Apostolic Nuncio was in charge of reading the constitution that separates Buenos Aires from the primal title to grant it to the episcopal see of Santiago del Estero, elevating it to the rank of archiepiscopal see, although it will continue to be suffragan of the metropolitan see of Tucumán.

The document also determines to promote the bishop of Santiago del Estero to the archiepiscopal dignity, granting him the title of primate. for the timeand transfer the title of primate seat from Buenos Aires to Santiago del Estero.

The corresponding pontifical bull will be executed on September 7 in Santiago del Estero, definitively establishing it as the Primate See of Argentina.

At the end of the celebration, a plaque was unveiled that commemorates the archbishops who passed through Buenos Aires between 1936 and 2024. On the list is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, today Pope Francis.