Clerical kidnappings, elections, and COVID dominate Catholic news in Americas
- Apr 13, 2021
Argentine President Alberto Fernández sent a bill to Congress to decriminalize abortion, despite Catholic objections.
Closing the XXIII annual meeting of Argentina’s Christian Association of Business Executives (ACDE), the country’s president called for the recovery of the “best capitalism” exemplified by the ACDE’s founder Enrique Shaw, who is being considered for sainthood.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said he’s still “committed as in the first moment” to legalizing abortion, even as the country continues its nearly 50-day coronavirus lockdown.
The leadership of the Catholic Church in Pope Francis’s native Argentina is preparing to fight back against a press for legalized abortion with a seemingly more active role than in 2018, when the conservative president at the time opened a debate over decriminalization.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández announced Sunday that he will send Congress a proposal to legalize voluntary abortion — an initiative that was rejected two years ago.
As the Argentinian government prepares a bill to decriminalize abortion and make it “safe, legal and available to all women,” the bishops’ conference launched a campaign titled “Yes to women, yes to life,” the focal point of which will be a Mass on March 8, International Women’s Day.
Pope Francis welcomed the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez on Friday. The meeting was highly anticipated in the South American country, as it could lead to the pontiff’s first visit to his homeland since he left in 2013 for the conclave that elected him pope.
After over 3 million Argentines took to the streets last year to successfully oppose efforts in Argentina’s Congress to legalize abortion, the newly elected government decided to widen access to the procedure, bypassing Congress and openly challenging the country’s constitution.