Pope's message to Argentina's
“Madres de Plaza de Mayo”
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| Mothers of "Plaza de Mayo". (ANSA) |
Pope Francis sent an audio message for the 41st anniversary
of the “Madres de Plaza de Mayo” (Mothers of Plaza de Mayo), who protested
against the disappearance of their children during the Dirty War (1976-1983) of
Argentina’s military dictatorship.
The Pope’s greeting was addressed to Ana María
Careaga, daughter of the foundress of the association, Esther
Ballestrino de Careaga, a Paraguayan who after being kidnapped in
Argentina in 1977 by the police disappeared forever.
Esther, a biochemist, was in charge fo the laboratory where
Pope Francis worked as a young man.
The association “Madres de Plaza de Mayo” is
named after the iconic square of Buenos Aires, Plaza de Mayo, where mothers of
disappeared children marched to on March 30, 1977, in public defiance of
the government’s agenda to silence all opposition.
The message of the Holy Father was broadcast in the evening
on Monday, May 1, during the programme, "Ahora y Siempre" (Now
and Forever) that Ana Maria Careaga conducts on Radio Caput in Buenos Aires.
Below is a translation of the Pope’s audio message:
Dear Ana Maria, these days when one remembers the 30th of
April of 1977, the anniversary of the foundation of the "Mothers" [of
Plaza de Mayo], when the mothers organized themselves, I very much remember
your mother. She worked hard, she was a fighter and together with her
many women who fought for justice, both because they had lost their children or
simply because mothers who, seeing the drama of so many missing children, came
together to fight for this as well.
I am sure that, in addition to their universal recognition,
God has them in His heart. They are fighters, they fought for justice and they
have taught us the way forward.
I am glad that you are following your mother's footsteps and
making them known to others on your radio programme. Hence today, in a
special way, I pray for the Mothers, I pray for you, I pray for your mother
Esther and I pray for all the men and women of good will who together want to
carry forward a plan of justice and brotherhood.
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