Church in Argentina warns about subject who “is not a Catholic minister” in Mercedes-Luján

The Archbishopric of Mercedes-Luján (Argentina) alerted the community about a subject who “is a Catholic minister” and a parish that does not belong to the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church.

He statementsigned by the Archbishop of Mercedes-Luján, Mons. Jorge Eduardo Scheinig; and the Auxiliary Bishop, Mons. Mauricio Landra; It arises from the news of some celebrations, and from the queries received from some communities, both from the archdiocese and from neighboring dioceses.

The purpose of this clarification is “to avoid confusion or attack the good reputation of our faithful Roman Apostolic Catholics.”

In this framework, the prelates explain that “Mr. Cristian Andrade is not a Catholic minister of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján” and that “the so-called Sacred Heart Parish, located at 633 Noel Street, Barrio Santa Brígida de General Rodríguez, is not It is a Roman Catholic Apostolic parish.”

Likewise, they indicate that “the Bishopric of General Rodríguez is not a diocesan Church existing within the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, and is not a member of the Argentine Episcopal Conference.”

“Mr. Andrade, like all the members of a published Catholic Church in diaspora of Rome, or independent of Rome, founded by Carlos Duarte Costa, They are not members of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church nor are they in communion with the Holy Father“, they detail.

Therefore, they advise the faithful, especially residents of General Rodríguez, “to refrain from participating in the activities of these religious groups.”

“This statement only pursues the purpose of duly and truthfully informing our Catholic faithful, without undermining the constitutional exercise of religious freedom,” they conclude.

Previous warnings

In March 2023, the Bishop of Quilmes, Mons. Carlos José Tissera, had already warned about the actions of this priest, who together with another person officiated celebrations of sacraments in the jurisdiction of the diocese.

“Through this circular I want to alert you about two people who present themselves as priests, officiating celebrations of sacraments, in spaces under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Quilmes. Specifically, we have a photo of a baptism held in Berazategui,” he noted.

One of them, Mons. Tissera detailed, “appears on Facebook with the name of Cristian Hernán Andrade. He presents himself there as a Catholic priest from Buenos Aires, parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. In addition, “a photo of him wearing a clergyman appears on his profile,” he specified at that time.

The bishop then indicated that the diocese had contacted the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and “they have informed us that Andrade is not a priest incardinated there. They remember that he was a seminarian a long time ago, but that he did not finish his ecclesiastical studies.”