‘Combat drugs culture’

The problems posed by drug addiction in parts of Argentina are being ignored, according to Archbishop Eduardo Martín who has demanded that authorities take action in his Rosario Diocese.

“There’s a serious lack of services and we are asking the authorities to do more,” said the archbishop. “It’s part of the contribution of the Church to combating the problem of drugs.”

He was responding to remarks by Fr Fabián Belay, who is in charge of pastoral matters, particularly drug addiction in Rosario. The city has become a focal point for Argentina’s booming drugs trade, but Fr Belay claimed the last official addiction prevention programme in Rosario was 25 years ago.

“We have seen drugs insinuate themselves into our society and at the same time there has been a great silence about it,” he said in an interview with the daily La Capital newspaper in Rosario. “There is no talk of treatment nor of prevention policies.”

The Argentinian bishops have long campaigned for a concerted government effort to combat drug addiction and drug gangs. Earlier this year, Pope Francis was quoted saying he feared “Mexicanisation” of Argentina, citing the chaos and “terror” caused by drug gangs in Mexico. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires he supported drug rehabilitation centres and witnessed the effects of “paco”, a cheap, widely available cocaine derivative.