In 2001, the Argentine economy came to a screeching halt. While the junta had come to an end in 1983, their structures of control left the country in staggering debt. Furthermore, while democratic elections were restored, demagogues often swayed the voters, making promises impossible to keep and often causing much damage. When world markets plunged in 2001, Argentina was unable to pay its debts and the economy was devastated. Inflation soared 5000%, unemployment jumped to near 18%, and the poverty rate rocketed to near 50%. Average government employees were given a steep pay cut, while as many as 500,000 of its higher-paid employees were not paid at all. Also, while some tried to salvage their savings by sending their money abroad, the bank accounts in Argentina were soon frozen by the government and only allowed small withdrawals.
Argentines took to the streets with increasing vigor to protest government policies and vent their frustrations, and often received harsh treatment from the police. Violence broke out, and several people lost their lives. President De la Rúa was forced to resign amid the protests, but the Argentines did not really trust any of the alternative politicians. One in five ballots in the presidential election was cast as an ‘anger ballot’, a cast without indicating a choice.
In the midst of the crisis, Cardinal Bergoglio, promoting a culture of cooperation, emerged as one of the few leaders able to unite the nation (see Ch. 8 of Pope Francis by Matthew Bunson for more on Bergoglio’s actions during this time). The people saw him as a credible voice that looked out for the poor and the middle class. He denounced police brutality against the protesters and urged the protesters to stop the violence. Once, when seeing a woman outside his residence unjustly beaten during the protest, he contacted a high-ranking officer and told the officer what was going on and asked him to stop it. He cautioned against the unrealistic promises of politicians and also warned about exploitive influences from abroad. Cardinal Bergoglio also denounced any proposed solutions that compromised the poor. He told the people that the real way to effect change is to change oneself. Argentina had become a nation too long divided. The country lacked solidarity and trust, and Cardinal Bergoglio recognized the situation as a spiritual problem in need of a spiritual solution.
In 2003, Néstor Kirchner, a highly charismatic figure, became president after a succession of two other short presidencies during the crisis. Cardinal Bergoglio denounced Kirchner’s economic policies because they exploited the poor. Further, the Kirchner government’s official economic numbers were likely manipulated in his favor, failing to do justice to the real situation facing the average Argentine. In response, Cardinal Bergoglio had the archdiocese collect its own statistics on inflation and unemployment in Argentina. Kirchner, in turn, lashed out against the Cardinal, calling him the “leader of the opposition.” The president decided to make other plans for the annual commemoration of the May Revolution, a day when the president traditionally attends the Te Deum service with the archbishop at the cathedral.
Kirchner finished his term in 2007, and his wife Christina Fernández de Kirchner was elected president after him. Néstor Kirchner died in 2008, and Cardinal Bergoglio mourned his death. Christina de Kirchner sought to bring social change that had already come to many other countries by introducing abortion and same-sex marriage to Argentina. While abortion is prohibited by the Argentine constitution, Christina de Kirchner, backed by the Supreme Court, broadly expanded the exceptions allowed by law. She was also successful in enacting legislation allowing same-sex marriage. Cardinal Bergoglio, preaching as usual on matters of national importance from his pulpit in the beautiful Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, strongly denounced both moves. He insisted that protecting the unborn child in all cases from abortion is necessary to secure an absolute value of human rights. He believed that if one is permitted to kill an unborn child in some cases, then human rights could be taken away in ‘special’ circumstances as well.
A document overseen by Cardinal Bergoglio at the General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops Conferences, states the following about abortion: “If we want to maintain a solid and inviolable basis for human rights, we absolutely must recognize that human life must always be defended from the very moment of conception. Otherwise, the circumstances and conveniences of the powerful will always find excuses for abusing persons.” In an interfaith dialogue, recorded in the book “On Heaven and Earth”, with his friend Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Cardinal Bergoglio shares more thoughts on abortion: “The moral problem with abortion is of a pre-religious nature because the genetic code of the person is present at the moment of conception. There is already a human being. I separate the issue of abortion from any religious concept.... The right to life is the first human right. Abortion is killing someone who cannot defend himself.”
Cardinal Bergoglio also believes that same-sex marriage is a serious step in the wrong direction. Bergoglio told Rabbi Skorka that same-sex marriage is an “‘anthropologic regression,’ a weakening of the institution that is thousands of years old and that was forged according to nature and anthropology.” Cardinal Bergoglio also insisted that same-sex marriage be disallowed since children deserve a male father and a female mother. He preached from the cathedral pulpit, “Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a ‘move’ of the Father of Lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God” (as quoted in Ch. 8 of Pope Francis by Matthew Bunson). To Bergoglio’s point, Christina de Kirchner responded with a full-page newspaper ad accusing the Cardinal of staying in the Dark Ages.
Construction on the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral where Cardinal Bergoglio had presided began in the late 16th century, but many significant structural repairs and renovations through the centuries brought it to its current eclectic, but glorious form. Twelve pillars representing the twelve Apostles form a long and tall portico that supports its ornate neoclassical façade. An 18th century dome rises over the massive main altarpiece. The pulpit stands to the side. Cardinal Bergoglio spoke out from that pulpit against many social evils of the city and nation, such as human trafficking and prostitution. He also preached against serious economic inequalities, which grew after the 2001 financial crisis. Fiery preaching from the pulpit in the Metropolitan Cathedral was the Cardinal’s preferred method of communicating the spoken word to his archdiocese and the nation. He accepted very few interviews.
Cardinal Bergoglio grew to both national and international prominence among the bishops. In 2001, he was designated the rector of the 10th Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome because the terrorist attacks of September 11 prevented Cardinal Egan of New York from coming to Rome. This opportunity increased his level of exposure among the cardinals and bishops. Next, Cardinal Bergoglio attended the 2005 papal conclave, which followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Ratzinger was then elected and became Pope Benedict XVI, and, while the proceedings of a conclave remain a secret, it is widely believed that Cardinal Bergoglio received the second largest number of votes. He returned to Rome in October 2005, to participate in the 11th Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
Then in November 2005, he was elected president of the Argentine bishops’ conference, and was re-elected to another term in 2008. Cardinal Bergoglio used his role as president to organize his fellow bishops against Kirchners’ policies that violated Catholic social teaching. In 2007, Cardinal Bergoglio oversaw the writing of the document released by the General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops Conferences, which provided a united pastoral vision for the region. In this role, he was able to bring about a ‘culture of cooperation’ among the bishops, a skill he would soon need like never before.