THE GOVERNOR AND THE INTERRELIGIOUS TABLE OF CHACO MADE THE PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE SPIRIT OF ASÍS

Governor Jorge Capitanich and Lieutenant Governor Analía Rach Quiroga participated this Thursday, together with the Chaco Interreligious Table “Pastor Luís Macchi”, in the first meeting of the “Interreligious Prayer for Peace in the Spirit of Assisi”, where, at the invitation of the Pope Francis, different convictions of faith were present to raise a general prayer for the community.
The president remarked that this event “seems to us an important issue because we are going through a time of prayer and mercy, but also of intensification of our internal process of reflection. The province has an ecumenical spirit and a very strong imprint to pray for world peace, and it makes me very happy that we do it together. It was really a very heartfelt ceremony.”
These prayers for Peace in the Spirit of Assisi were born in October 1986, where 54 leaders of Christian religions, 71 of non-Christians, and 25 representatives of the world episcopate met, under the impulse of John Paul II. The event is a worldwide movement of prayer, reaching across the borders of nations and reaching out to all religions to embrace the entire planet in a prayer for peace on Earth.
In this context, the Government of the province and the Interreligious Roundtable decided to hold this meeting on Chaco soil for the first time, calling on all religions and believers to participate in this prayer that has a transversal character throughout the world.
“Sometimes the day to day and the consumerism with which we live in this society does not give rise to reflection on these dates that are coming up in the month of December. For this reason, we hope that together we can do it, invoking God to accompany us in the search for peace”, Capitanich highlighted.
For his part, the priest of the Catholic Church, Rafael del Blanco, remarked that “Pope Francis is calling all humanity to pray for peace in this context of world tension that currently exists. We, as the Interreligious Table, and with the endorsement of the governor, call for this prayer for the first time in Chaco in which all the religious denominations of the province will participate.
In addition, del Blanco added that “we know that Capitanich is a man of faith and who encourages us a lot to celebrate these types of activities. It was even he who called us to this prayer, to which we join because we see it as something very auspicious. This relationship between the Government and the Church is very important, because we have a responsibility to build collectively on all the needs that exist in the community”.
Following this line, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Resistencia, Monsignor Ramón Alfredo Dus, affirmed during the presentation of the prayer that “through this gesture that we are making today, we want to demonstrate that it is good to seek a common vision over the discrepancies. We recognize that our differences do not push us to confrontation, but to respect, collaboration and fraternity, which create the climate that reflects the spirit of Assisi”.
In addition, the representative of the Jewish Community of Resistance, Rabbi Natan Waingortin, stressed that “what we have just done is very important, because we unite our intentions to live in peace, each one praying to their God in an integral way and with our languages. There is a concept of Judaism that is very beautiful in this case, and that is that the element that makes us all human beings is that we are identically different, and that difference is what calls us to live in peace”.
Finally, the representative of the Islamic Community of Argentina, Sheikh Ahmad, indicated that “our main message is to demonstrate that, although there are different religions, the objective is that there will always be and exist a cultural coexistence. That the governor is present here is a great way to strengthen this idea of ​​interreligious conciliation”.
The Chaco Interreligious Table “Pastor Luis Macchi” is a space that allows dialogue, reflection and fraternal work together based on the coincidences between the actors, with the purpose of being able to help the spirituality and quality of life of community. In addition, its purpose is to promote religious freedom and respect for the creeds recognized in the province in a harmonious common coexistence.
It is made up of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, the Jewish Community, the Muslim Community, the Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church, the Evangelical Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Evangelical Church of Aboriginal Communities, as well as lay members of different faiths. It is open to the integration of religions that intend to join in the future.
Present were the mayor of Barranqueras, Magda Ayala, and of Fontana, Patricia Rodas; the Attorney General, Miguel Fonteina; the director of Worship, Pedro García; the director of Cults of the Municipality of Resistencia, Javier Piñero; the president of the Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission, Fernando Guirado; the coordinator and member of the Provincial Interreligious Board, Silvina Rico; the members of the Executive Commission, Uri Jaraz, Ernesto Cáceres and Marianela Rodríguez; the coordinator of the Barranqueras Interreligious Table, Jorge Molina; and members of the different churches that make up the Chaco Interreligious Table.