Argentine prelates meet vice president to mediate farming dispute

Published: 2008-07-03

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNS) -- Argentine Catholic prelates met with Argentine Vice President Julio Cobos to mediate the ongoing dispute between the government and agricultural producers. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, president of the Argentine bishops' conference, headed the delegation of Archbishop Luis Villalba of Tucuman, retired Archbishop Ruben Di Monte of Mercedes and Bishop Sergio Fenoy of San Miguel. After the July 1 meeting, bishops' conference spokesman Jorge Oesteheld said the bishops spoke about "the necessity for dialogue and (the roll of) the institutions for preserving the social peace." He said, "Fortunately this situation of unrest is less worrying than it was recently, but attention has to be paid to finding a solution in order to cross this bridge." Since Argentine President Cristina Kirchner's March announcement of an increase in the export tax on grains, farmers across the country have staged protests and blockaded highways, plunging the country into its worst crisis since the economic collapse in 2001.

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