THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

New Zealand Tablet, 17 November 1910, Page 1878

THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

THE POSITION OF THE CHURCH The Pan-American Congress which has attracted the eyes of the world to the Argentine Republic naturally awakens a curiosity as to the status of the Catholic Church in that country. The reports that come to us are very gratifying and speak of a land rich in Catholic history and Catholic sentiment. Under the second article of the federal Constitution 'the Federal Government' supports the Catholic Apostolic religion.' The last complete census shows says the Boston Pilot) that out of a total population of 3,954,911 inhabitants there is a native Catling P"P^ 1011 . 0 2,944,397 and a foreign Catholic number Qo,&' 39, ,m gmng a total Catholic population of iuT 'oln 6 i f i iere re 01ly ? 6750 Protestants, 6085 .Jews, and 940 of other denominations. The Federal Congresi appropriates every year a fund to assist the Church in meeting its expenses. " Ti„„Jno e Argentine hierarchy consists of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires and the Bishops of Cordoba, La Pfata Parana, San " an de Cuyo, Santa Fe, Salta, and Tucuman f,n,l 6 ° 1?1 , Ce ° f U ? Ishop ', the Government selects three Ho v FT W I? f nt t 0 H ie , H °- ly Se ? > and oi these the Holy .Father selects one, if he is satisfied; otherwise all are rejected and a new list provided. The Holy See is represented at Buenos Aires by an Apostolic Internuncio, who ranks as the dean of the diploic corps. T The Argentine - nation has in Rome a change mJ™ J Vi Te ] Cath spirit which animated the framers of the Federal Constitution is forcibly illustrated tL he f P 7 vl + S °l art ! clc 76 ' which rc W™ ™ a condition . of eligibility for the position of President or Vicetort?*'- that he'belong to the Roman CathoHc W tohc religion.' Other clauses Empower the Federal ConTc\J?JJ™°V ] n co » ve ™on of P the Indians to the CathS 1 ellon . and - 'to admit into the territory of the Republic other religious Orders additional to those now in oflrSm of A !^nip artiC]e grantS to foreignerS the W 5 The Cathedral of Buenos Aires is a magnificent edifice erected on the site of the first church of the settlement' built by Don Juan de ? a, -' a y in 1580 This church, and al the others thereafter built depended on the ecclesiastical authorities of Paraguay until 1620, when Pope Paid V at the reqiiest of King Philip 111/of ■ Spain P erecS : the ?,f . La , Plata River. The construction of the present Cathedral was begun in 1791. There are other sumnX UrCbl " Buenos Aires and .» the SSSuS7£. It is well known that the Jesuits were the pioneers of progress and public instruction in all the vast region which extends on both sides of the River Platte, where thev founded schools.and novitiates and propagated learning as well as the Christian Faith. .Thei/College of St Frauds Xavier, established at Cordoba in 1611, and completed Tn tint vince ot La Plata, which embraced what is to-dav th« Argentine Nation and Chile. This institution li, humane studies as well as theology' were aught b'ecam a little later the University of Cofdoba, still in eSrtSioe and in the order of time the second University esUblfshed m South America The first was that of San Marcos at Lima, founded in 1551. Public schools in the Argentine as in the United States, are absolutely secular But the law of public instruction provides that ' after official hours religious instruction may be given to the children who Swte i? "IS 1 " f^^.schools. for the p«rpose en of W re" ceiv f it. I his religious instruction in the public schools shall be given £ Only by authorised ministers of the different persuasions before or after school hours ' different How easily interwoven the Catholic Faith is with th« life and ideas of the Argentine people may be seen by t « monument known a Bj El Christo 1 de Job Andes the Christ of the Andes, erected on a summit of that range chiefly by the efforts of an Argentine ladv and M™t £ ' cn . lefl > bente, Bishop of San Jua, cle Cuyo It tl g T ¥ me ~, statue of Our Lord with a cross in Hi, Wt l, a °°\? 1 right raised as if blessing the wor 1 £ S Sn d and the from old bronze cannon left by the "Soan Irl ? J B^^ 6 work of a native sculptor, Maeto &o \*\ d X a the 14,000 feet above the se'a l^n^^^^^

Argentine Republic from Chile, and commemorates the arbitration by both nations of the boundary question that more than once endangered their mutual peace. .It is only a few weeks ago since . the new PresidentElect of the Argentine, his Excellency Dr. Rogue Saens Pena, was received in audience by Pope Pius X. The Holy Father spoke in warm terms of , the Catholic spirit that obtains in the Argentine and of the progress and prosperity that continue to characterise the Republic.