An Irish priest who lived through a South American dictatorship has
defended Pope Francis against claims he failed to stand up to abuses by
the military regime in his native Argentina.Fr Francisco Jalics and Fr Orland Yoria both survived the ordeal, but in recent years, Fr Jalics accused Cardinal Bergoglio of effectively facilitating their abduction by turning his back on them, because he regarded their missionary work in the slums as too radical and political.
Fr O’Higgins, who spent 20 years working in Paraguay and experienced the oppression of the military dictatorship there, said he found Cardinal Bergoglio’s account of the events totally credible.
He said the Pope acknowledged his belief that the two priests were thinking of leaving the Jesuits to set up their own order, but he defended their right to do so.
“He speaks of those priests involved with a lot of admiration and it turns out that behind the scenes he was doing a lot, including putting his own position at risk trying to defend them.
“I find what he says totally credible. I can even empathise with him. Working in the university I knew some of my fellow professors had had some of their students disappear, so everybody became cautious that something you said or did might not get you into trouble, but it could get somebody else in trouble.
“This was the kind of blackmail that was used. He would have been ultra-cautious that something he said or did could have had implications, not for him, but for others.”
Bishop of Ossory, Séamus Freeman, also spoke highly of Cardinal Bergoglio’s record. Dr Freeman met the now Pope after five members of his Pallotine com-munity were murdered in Buenos Aires, in 1976.
Dr Freeman, who was then superior general of the order at the time, said he was pushing for an investigation into the killings which remain unsolved, and was advised to meet Bergoglio.
“He showed great solidarity and he did what he could to try and solve it. He advised us to go up to the headquarters of the police in Buenos Aires — they just threw up a stone wall and we got nowhere — but he showed great solidarity with the community down there before and after that great tragedy.”
The legacy of the Dirty War that terrorised ordinary Argentinians still lingers today, and this week, a senior member of the military from that time was sentenced to life in jail for his involvement in the disappearance of 23 people.
Campaign groups still press for investigations into the thousands of “disappeared” while the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo continue to demonstrate weekly for the return of children taken while their parents were in detention, often given to members of the military to raise.
The role of the Catholic Church, which in Argentina was weakened by splits at the time, has also come under scrutiny, with critics claiming some factions collaborated with the military.
Speaking on RTÉ, Dr Freeman said there was no question of the new pope being silent on such abuses.
“He would be very critical of the government of that time. He would be a great believer, a serious believer in separation of church and state, each with their own rights and responsibilities. He had no fear in him at all. [He was] a very courageous man.”