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Argentine Bishops Mark 50 Years Since 1976 Coup With Warning on Democratic Erosion

Declassified church and Vatican files compiled by a UCA study show senior clergy knew of the coup’s gestation, with many approving it.

Overview

  • An official statement from the Argentine Episcopal Conference urges remembrance of the dictatorship era and cautions that a confrontational governing style can corrode democratic norms.
  • The bishops’ text highlights a degradation of public debate and warns that altered democratic practices risk a quasi‑despotic exercise of power without naming specific officials.
  • Archival research in the UCA study details how Conference president Adolfo Tortolo sought a 1975 'just war' opinion from theologian Domingo Basso to guide moral judgments on state force.
  • Documents show Tortolo maintained close ties with President Isabel Perón, later mediating the signing of her resignation during detention at El Messidor and conveying it to the de facto authorities.
  • The study records internal limits and dissent, noting warnings against indiscriminate detentions and the voice of Father Jorge Mejía, who urged organizing peace rather than resorting to force.