Pope Francis accepts the resignation of Bishop Gabriel Mestre from the Archdiocese of La Plata

10 months after naming him Archbishop of La Plata (Argentina), Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Mons. Gabriel Mestre, 55, as reported this morning by the Vatican Press Office.

In a letter addressed to the community, the prelate announced that his resignation is related to the situation of recent months in the Diocese of Mar del Plataof which he was bishop until July 2023.

Pope Francis appointed Bishop Mestre Archbishop of La Plata on July 28, 2023, thus succeeding in that episcopal see the current Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, currently prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Bishop Mestre was installed as Archbishop of La Plata on September 16, 2023, just over eight months ago. In Mar del Plata, meanwhile, the College of Consultants appointed Father Luis Albóniga as diocesan administrator, who had been vicar general of the diocese during the pastoral government of Bishop Mestre.

In November 2023, Pope Francis appointed Bishop José María Baliña as Bishop of Mar del Platawho weeks later He quit for health reasons.

In his place, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Gustavo Larrazábal, who also resignedafter some rumors circulated in the local press about old complaints against him for harassment and abuse of power, which came to light following his appointment, since the alleged victim would be a woman from Mar del Plata.

Faced with this scenario, Pope Francis decided to appoint Mons. Ernesto Giobando, a Jesuit prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Mar del Plata, who took on the task on January 19 of this year.

On Sunday, January 28, and without details about the reasons, the community of Mar del Plata was informed that Father Albóniga, former diocesan administrator, he had to leave the bishopric for a while and exercise his ministry in the Diocese of Jujuy, a region on the border of Argentina with Bolivia, about 1,900 kilometers northwest of Mar del Plata. A sector of the Mar del Plata parish repeatedly expressed its discontent with the situation, with public demonstrations calling for the priest’s return.

Bishop Mestre explains his resignation

Upon hearing the news of his resignation, Bishop Mestre addressed the Catholic community of La Plata with a letter in which he explains the reasons for his resignation.

“Days ago, the Holy See summoned me to Rome to discuss some aspects of the Diocese of Mar del Plata after my transfer to the Archdiocese of La Plata upon being appointed metropolitan archbishop by Pope Francis,” said the prelate.

“After confronting some different perceptions with what happened in the Diocese of Mar del Plata from November 2023 to the present, Pope Francis asked me to resign from the La Plata see,” he explained.

“With profound peace and total rectitude of conscience before God for how I acted, trusting that the Truth makes us free (cf. Jn 8:32), and with filial and theological obedience to the Holy Father, I immediately wrote my resignation, which was accepted and made public today,” he added.

To the archdiocesan community, Mons Mestre assured that he has been “very happy these eight and a half months” and expresses his gratitude: “Thank you for making me feel at home! Thank you for the gestures of delicacy and kindness on each of the visits! Thank you for inviting me to be part of your lives!”

“It pains me to leave, it pains me to leave you as pastor of this Particular Church that is a pilgrim in La Plata, but I am sure that God has much better plans that I cannot finish deciphering today,” he concluded.