Argentina under God’s care, archbishop says on country’s independence day

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 11, 2007 / 08:59 am

Archbishop Ruben Hector di Monte of Mercedes-Lujan said this week the inspiration behind the founding of Argentina came from the Christian faith and that the since its beginnings the country has been “under the care of God our Lord.”

In his homily for the Te Deum Mass celebrating the 191st anniversary of the independence of Argentina at the Cathedral Basilica of Mercedes, Archbishop di Monte said the Magnificat “reminds us that Argentina also belongs to the generations prophesied in the Gospel” that call Mary “blessed.” He added that, “this legacy cannot be banished or given up, even though we may pass through periods of fear and confusion or go astray as we advance.”

“We must always be guided by the voice of freedom, of human dignity, of our own responsibility, of the defense of human rights, proclaiming the Greatness of the Lord,” Archbishop di Monte said, adding that, “If God is present with us, all of the values we proclaim will not be excuses but rather means for building a promising future.”

The archbishop exhorted Catholics to give thanks to God and ask the Blessed Mother to intercede before the Lord that “we might continue to be free. So that each day we may be liberated from sin and from evil. So that we may have all that we need in body and in spirit.”