Pope Francis: Relationship with Fernando de la Rúa and the 2001 Argentine Crisis

Image Credentials: Image Title: Pope Francis: Relationship with Fernando de la Rúa and the 2001 Argentine Crisis Source: AI-Generated Image (Grok, xAI) Date: April 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (Grok, xAI), and it does not depict a real-world scene.

Fernando de la Rúa succeeded Carlos Menem as President of Argentina in 1999, assuming office during rising economic instability and public dissatisfaction. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio regularly celebrated the traditional First National Government Day Mass on 25 May at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, a ceremony attended by national political figures.

During Argentina’s economic depression in the early 2000s, the Catholic Church grew increasingly vocal in its criticism of the government’s austerity measures, which were seen as exacerbating poverty and inequality. In this context, De la Rúa sought the Church’s support in facilitating dialogue between political and economic leaders to address the growing social unrest. The president later claimed he had spoken with Archbishop Bergoglio about such a mediation effort. However, Bergoglio reportedly denied that a meeting had taken place, explaining that it had been canceled due to a misunderstanding.

Bishop Jorge Casaretto, another influential figure in the Argentine Episcopal Conference, expressed skepticism, stating that De la Rúa never made a formal request to the Church and had only mentioned the idea in media interviews.

Following the legislative elections of 2001, the opposition Justicialist Party gained a majority in Congress, and Ramón Puerta was elected as president of the Senate. Bergoglio met privately with Puerta and came away with a positive impression. Puerta reportedly assured the archbishop that the Justicialist Party was not planning to unseat De la Rúa and instead intended to support legislative cooperation.

In December 2001, amidst widespread riots and violent protests over the collapsing economy and state of emergency, dozens of protesters were killed during police crackdowns. During this period of repression, Bergoglio intervened, contacting Argentina’s Ministry of the Interior to urge police to distinguish between violent rioters and peaceful demonstrators, emphasizing the need to avoid unnecessary harm to civilians.

These events marked a period in which Bergoglio’s moral leadership and concern for human rights became more visible on the national stage. His emphasis on social justice and protection of the vulnerable would become hallmarks of his later papal priorities.

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References

• La Nación, “Misa del 25 de Mayo: la ceremonia patriótica en la Catedral con presencia del Presidente”, 25 May 2000.

• Clarín, “La Iglesia desmiente que De la Rúa haya pedido su mediación”, 12 December 2001.

• Página/12, “Puerta le aseguró a Bergoglio que no habrá maniobras contra De la Rúa”, November 2001.

• Clarín, “Bergoglio pidió a Interior que no se reprima a los manifestantes pacíficos”, 21 December 2001.

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