The team of priests from the slums of the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) demanded solutions for their neighborhoods' needs in the run-up to Christmas.
As part of a religious ceremony at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, the priests from CABA's slums shared the harsh reality their neighborhoods face regarding housing, food, health, and work.
In a message to the community, obtained by the Argentine News Agency, the priests stated, "This Christmas, in our slums and popular neighborhoods, there is still a lack of sewers and true socio-urban integration."
In this sense, they expressed concern about certain public statements, indicating that "shockingly, we have once again heard the words 'eradication' and 'dynamite the slums,' considering it an 'absolutely unacceptable incitement to absolute violence'."
Similarly, they asserted that "this Christmas, many families in our neighborhoods will be without bread, that is, a dignified table, toys, and Christmas panettone," and added that "in many streets and passageways of our slums, there is a lack of drinking and non-drinking water, and the corresponding stormwater drainage works."
In the same manner, they exposed that "this Christmas, healthcare remains insufficient in our neighborhoods," denouncing that health centers lack the necessary resources and that there is a shortage of psychologists and other services.
At the same time, they lamented that "this Christmas, many families do not have dignified work," by emphasizing that "there is precarious employment and ventures with little prospect of success."
Even with the harsh scenario described, the priests from the slums highlighted that "we always know that the first urban planners of our neighborhoods are the neighbors themselves, who transformed landfills, lagoons, and abandoned places into consolidated neighborhoods."
In this sense, they highlighted that neighbors take care of "multiplying the loaves" among families and in soup kitchens, adding that "the same solidarity is at play to install water and electricity, also for health and work problems," and valuing that "they manage to get by to find bread and what is necessary for the children."
Appealing to Christian hope on the eve of Christmas, the priests emphasized that "in our neighborhoods, in the midst of poverty and doors that close, Jesus continues to find a place to be born" and prayed that "the Virgin of Luján intercedes so that we all have dignified housing, bread, water, health, and work."
