Church and State in Pope Francis’ native country have been looking to him to resolve their conflict, which stems from the bishops’ complaints of government corruption, inequality and violence Two Sundays ago, I witnessed a highly emotional and politicised Mass in the Church of Santa Cruz in the heart of Buenos Aires, commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Fr Carlos Mugica. The priest lies buried not here but at a shrine mounted in his honour in the shanty town where he lived and worked after preaching non-­violent liberation theology and solidarity on the side of the poor.The Mass was less liturgy than activism, touched with a sense of defiance as well as veneration, verging on idolatry for Mugica. More than three decades after I reported on Argent