貧民窟的神父 - 教宗方濟各的早年經歷
（作者Haley Cohen – “經濟學人” 駐阿根廷和烏拉圭的記者。發表於2013)
2013年3月14日在布宜諾斯艾利斯的Barracas居民區，貧民窟Villa21-24的居民漫步路過Caacupe聖母教堂, 阿根廷樞機主教Jorge Mario Bergoglio（現在的教宗方濟各）過去在這兒主持彌撒.
對於神父古斯塔夫·卡拉拉（Gustavo Carrara）來說，一天的工作可能意味着要找一個人陪同一名懷孕的吸毒者去醫院，為無家可歸的孤兒尋找住處，或者安慰一名丈夫在一場由毒癮引發的槍戰中喪生的婦女。卡拉拉負責的聖瑪麗教區位於布宜諾斯艾利斯最大和最危險的貧民窟之一的1-11-14Villa。他當時被還是布宜諾斯艾利斯大主教的教宗方濟各親自招募到那裡服務。
“當時是Padre Bergoglio來找我，因為我在其他地方當過執事，他要求我在其中一Villa作神父。”Carrara解釋道。他知道這個工作不容易。遠離布宜諾斯艾利斯的如明信片般美麗的林蔭大道，撩人的探戈和法式建築，這個城市的貧民窟或Villa是如此糟糕，甚至救護車和警察拒絕進入。卡拉拉還是說：“我毫不猶豫”。
現任教宗方濟自1998年擔任布宜諾斯艾利斯總主教職位以來，一直致力於恢復和鞏固天主教在Villa中的活動。他把這個任務從10人增加到20多位，安排神父每兩人或數人結成小組， 展開工作，並且每兩個月召開一次會議，以培養神父們的歸屬感。Padre Bergoglio 教宗自己常常深入到城裡的各種Villa貧民窟，跟街上的人談話，和教會的人一起喝茶，坐在教堂的後面看着神父主持彌撒。他幫助Villa中的某些項目尋找資金，並經常與Villa神父打電話，幫助他們解決教區的問題，有時還解決他們的個人生活問題。
32歲的Juan Isasmendi神父，在21-24號Villa工作的四位牧師之一說：“他總是非常平易近人，你可以打電話給他的手機，有時談上10分鐘，有時20分鐘，有時2小時，有時只是聊天和開玩笑，他有很好的幽默感。”
雖然大多數Villa神父都懷疑他們的大主教會當選，但Isasmendi聲稱他有一個直覺。當然他補充說：“即使我感覺到會發生，我仍然不敢相信。”
教宗方濟各的當選，是對Villa的神父們工作的有力支持和肯定，他們的工作耗費了他們幾乎全部的時間。大多數貧民窟Villa神父每周工作7天，早起禱告，然後照顧他們的教區居民的需要，有時工作到午夜或以後。像普通教區的司鐸一樣，他們聽取懺悔，發放聖餐，洗禮兒童和主持葬禮。但是他們工作的獨特環境也帶來了獨特的挑戰。他們的許多教友都失業，飢餓，依靠教堂的廚房來生存。少女懷孕是猖獗的。Paco泛濫, Paco是一種便宜的，高度上癮的，可吸食的可卡因副產品，它在Villa迅速蔓延，引誘了居民，並使暴力犯罪上升。對此，許多神父與他們的教區一起建立康復中心，他們經常繞着他們的街區尋找可能的癮君子。
這項工作不是沒有危險的。 2009年，在發表譴責Paco在Villa中傳播的文件之後，Isasmendi附近的一個神父收到了死亡威脅。Isasmendi回想起教宗方濟各幫助Villa教區度過這段困難時期。 沒有通知，他突然出現，繞着整個Villa里慢慢地走過來，仿佛在說，如果你傷害他們，你就傷害我，他甚至表示願意在教區過夜，但我們向他保證沒有必要
雖然教宗方濟各的升遷意味着他與貧民窟神父聯繫將減少，但他們知道即使在羅馬他也不會忘了他們。他的當選也提升了教區居民的士氣，令他們覺得與教會更密切。卡拉拉解釋說。 “他們看到他不只是阿根廷人，而是一個維勒羅人(Villa 居民)。”
星期一晚上，Isasmendi和他的200名教區居民，前往布宜諾斯艾利斯的五月廣場（Plaza de Mayo），教宗的就職典禮將於明天上午五點半舉行。他們搭起一個帳篷，在兩棵樹之間畫上教區名字，並與數以千計的阿根廷信徒一起等待，…
當阿根廷的國歌開始從演講者那裡爆發出來的時候，Isasmendi躊躇滿志地說：“哇，我們的老朋友Padre Bergoglio，a pope. Wow。”

Slum Priests: Pope Francis's Early Years

'Padre Bergoglio' once recruited clergymen to minister in Buenos Aires's poor, dangerous 'villas miserias.'

·      HALEY COHEN MAR 20, 2013

 

Residents of the Villa 21-24 slum walk past the Virgin of Caacupe chapel, where then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) of Argentina used to give mass, in the Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires on March 14, 2013. (Enrique Marcarian/Reuters)

For Father Gustavo Carrara, a day's work might mean finding someone to accompany a pregnant drug addict to the hospital, seeking housing for a homeless orphan, or consoling a woman whose husband was killed in a narco-fueled gunfight. Carrara runs the Saint Mary Mother of the People parish, located inside Villa 1-11-14, one of Buenos Aires' largest and most dangerous slums. He was recruited personally to serve there by Pope Francis I, who was then Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

"Padre Francis, who was then Padre Bergoglio, came to me as I was working as a deacon elsewhere and asked me to work as a priest in one of the villas," explains Carrara. He knew that the job would not be easy. Far from the Buenos Aires of postcards, with its leafy avenues, sultry tango and Francophile architecture, the city's slums, or villas miserias, are so savage that even ambulances and police have refused to enter. Still, Carrara claims, "I did not hesitate."

…

Since assuming his post as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, Pope Francis I has worked to revive and fortify the Catholic movement in the villas. He grew the mission from 10 to more than 20 priests, arranged for the priests to live in pairs or groups instead of alone, and mandated bi-monthly meetings to foster a sense of community among the villero priests. Francis I often showed up to the city's various villas unannounced to talk with people in the streets, enjoy tea and cookies with churchgoers, and watch the priests deliver mass from a back pew. He helped find funding for certain projects in the villas and spoke frequently with the villa priests by telephone, helping them to resolve the problems of their parishes and sometimes their personal lives.

 

Father Juan Isasmendi, 32, one of four priests that works in Villa 21-24, says, "He was always very accessible. You would call his cell and sometimes stay on the phone for 10 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes, and sometimes two hours, just chatting and joking around. He has a very good sense of humor.

While most within the villa priests doubted that their Archbishop would be elected, Isasmendi claims he had an intuition. But he adds, "Even though I sensed it would happen, I couldn't believe it did."

In the election of Pope Francis I, the priests of the villas received a powerful confirmation of their work, which consumes most of their lives. Most villa priests work 7 days a week, rising early to pray before attending to their parishioners needs, sometimes working until midnight or later. Like priests in common parishes, they hear confessions, administer communions, baptize children, and oversee funerals. But the unique context in which they work presents unique challenges as well. Many of their parishioners are unemployed and hungry, relying on church soup kitchens for their survival. Teenage pregnancy is rampant. Paco, a cheap, highly addictive, smoke-able cocaine by-product has ravaged the villas, seducing its inhabitants and forcing violent crime levels up. In response, many of the priests have started rehab centers in conjunction with their parishes, frequently circling their neighborhoods on the look out for possible patients.

The work is not without its dangers. In 2009, after releasing a document denouncing the spread of Paco in the villas, a priest in Isasmendi's neighborhood, Villa 21-24, received a death threat. Isasmendi recalls how Pope Francis I helped the villa parish through that difficult time. "He showed up unannounced and walked slowly throughout the entire villa as if to say, if you touch them, you touch me. He even offered to sleep at the parish, but we assured him it wasn't necessary."

While the ascent of Pope Francis means he will be less accessible to the villa priests, they take comfort in the knowledge that he will continue fighting for their interests from Rome. His election has also bolstered the morale of the priests' parishioners. While most of the inhabitants of the villas are already pious, "The appointment Pope Francis I allows them to feel a more personal relationship with the church," explains Carrara. "They see him not just as Argentine, but as a fellow villero."

On Monday night, Isasmendi and 200 of his parishioners piled into three public busses to travel to the Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires' main square, where the Pope's inauguration would be live-cast the next morning at 5:30am. They pitched a tent, hoisted a sheet with their parish's name painted on it between two trees, and waited along with thousands of Argentine faithful, for the first glimpse of their "Papa Villero," or villa pope. The highly diverse crowd in Buenos Aires erupted when the screens showed Francisco I rolling into St. Peters square.

"Look at the time!" Isasmendi remarked to another priest from his parish, explaining that Francisco was always remarkably punctual. "And look, it's his normal mitre!" he said of the Popes papal headwear, "No gold like other popes."

As the Argentine anthem began to blare from the speakers, Isasmendi said wistfully, "Wow. Our old friend Padre Bergoglio, a pope. Wow."