Hierarchy tempers its criticism of state

A delegation of Argentinian  bishops has visited President Cristina Fernández in an effort to soothe tensions following the release of their controversial statement on violence in the country.

Archbishop José María Arancedo, president of the ­bishops’ conference, arranged the meeting to “clarify” the Church’s concerns about the security situation in Argentina, while other bishops explained publicly that the statement was not intended as an attack on the Government.

The bishops’ document, published earlier this month, described Argentina as being “sick with violence” and suffering the “cancer” of corruption. The publication caused uproar in Argentina and was roundly rejected by the Government.

There was speculation that Pope Francis may have intervened to ask the Argentinian bishops to meet the president, and on Monday a Vatican master of ­ceremonies, Guillermo Karcher, said that the Pope had been made aware of the document.“We spoke immediately with Pope Francis and analysed the document,” Mgr Karcher told Radio La Red. “It must be understood in context. There is no reason for conflict.”

Meanwhile El Nacional newspaper reported that the Pope would visit the Argentinian city of Tucumán in July 2016, during the National Eucharistic Congress and the bicentennial of the country’s independence.