The Bishop of Chascomús (Argentina), Bishop Juan Ignacio Liébana, shared a reflection on the value that the Manger has for Christians, following the controversy sparked by a parody of the Birth of Jesus broadcast by the Olga streaming channel. From the channel, they apologized.
“For us Christians, the manger and Christmas are very valuable and sacred symbols that we want to take care of and guard. They have to do with our DNA, with our identity, with our deepest essence. Christmas is Jesus. And Jesus is sacred to us,” Bishop Liébana summarized in a statement titled “The manger is not stained.”
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“It hurts us when what identifies us is not respected, because it hurts our deepest identity,” he acknowledged, remembering that recently, at the Olympic Games, something like this happened with the Last Supper, and now with the parody of the manger.
“Does tolerance cost us so much?”; he questioned. “If you don’t share what is ours, or if you don’t understand it, at least don’t despise it, don’t make fun of it, at least respect what is sacred to us,” he stated, as “a basic principle of tolerance and universal coexistence.”
“In the face of human stupidity, Jesus often remains silent, as in the face of Herod during his Passion,” said Bishop Liébana. However, after celebrating Mass in a penitentiary unit, “seeing the detainees take them in their hands, with so much respect and affection, silently adoring the Child Jesus, I felt like I had to say something,” he admitted.
“The word helps us set limits, to say ‘you’ve come this far’, ‘respect my rights’, ‘it doesn’t matter all the same’,” he considered.
“Caring for the sacredness of Christmas is caring for the sacredness of all human life, that of the elderly, that of the young, that of the unborn child, that of so many ‘Loans’ that continue to be treated as merchandise and business, through trafficking, drug trafficking and so many scourges,” he indicated, remembering Loan Peña, the child who disappeared last June in Corrientes.
“Taking care of the sacredness of the manger is taking care of the sacredness of the family, of traditions, of our religious and cultural identity, which we do not want to be trampled or mistreated,” he said.
“As we celebrate this Christmas, may we recognize Christ in each brother, even in those who have other beliefs and convictions, and may we renew our commitment to care for and respect the sacredness of the life of each neighbor,” he encouraged, urging true joy. “that springs from the manger and from respect for others.”
In the last few hours, the comedian Migue Granados, one of the creators and host of a segment on the Olga streaming channel, referred to what happened on two occasions. On air on his channel, he expressed: “We don’t have a boss, we speak to our community and it is a YouTube channel. “No one is obliged to see it.” collect the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
On Thursday morning, in a American Breakfast television mobilea program on América TV, Granados said that “it is perfect that they ask for forgiveness.”
“They have to apologize as a group, as a program, and that’s how it will be,” he added.
During Thursday’s broadcast, host Martín Rechimuzzi read a statement: “In relation to the sketch performed last Thursday on the program ‘My cousin is like that’, we wanted to sincerely apologize. It was not our intention to make fun of a religion or its followers. It is up to us to recognize when we were wrong and that is what happened. That is why this team, before starting today’s program, considers it appropriate to apologize. We are approaching the holidays and these dates should be ones of unity and peace. Without much more to add, our sincere apologies from those of us who make ‘My cousin is like that’. Martín, Evelyn, Noelia and Tomás.”
After noon, a group of people gathered at the door of the Olga channel to pray the rosary in reparation for the offenses against the Holy Family, at the time when the program “My cousin is like this” is broadcast, where crimes were committed. the grievances.
From the opposite corner, and with a small altar with a cross and the image of the Virgin, the Catholics began to pray without the program making any mention of what was happening on the public street. However, the program ended half an hour before its usual time.
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.