Bishop for 22 days. This is the strange record of Msgr Jose Maria Baleña whom Francis, his countryman and compatriot, appointed an honorary title of the Diocese of Mar del Plata on November 21 last. Today’s twist: one letter For the bishop-elect in which he communicates with the monks and faithful in the diocese that he has to resignSigned as honorary.

Sudden resignation

Monsignor Baleña, directly addressing the Diocese of Mar del Plata, justified himself by saying that ““They rushed to accept immediately, not knowing the process that was taking place.” the An afterthought Lightning does not have only one cause, there are several causes. There is a health issue that the Bishop of Buenos Aires admitted that he underestimated, and I was touched by the joy of the appointment: “For several months – He explained in the message – I’m going through a breakup RetinaWith two operations and one scheduled for February.” In light of this motive, the solidarity of the faithful of Mar del Plata immediately arrived. However, this is not the only thing behind this step backwards. In fact, Balenya stated himself without going into detail.last Personal attitudes And the family” Which contributed to abandoning the role.

Direct line to the Pope

Monsignor Palinha is part of what can be defined as “Gil Bergoglio“, having appointed him archbishop since 1997. With the beginning of Bergolian’s season in Buenos Aires, Baleña began to assume roles of responsibility, becoming parish priest of the Church of the Resurrection in 1998, in the Chacarita barrio. Then parish priest in 2009 of the Church of San Isidro Labrador. With the election of Francis to the papacy, the Pope’s ecclesiastical career began Porteño It took off until it was named in 2015 as suffraganAnd the home parish. In recent years, the relationship with the former Archbishop has not been broken and Palinha was also received in the Vatican to attend the Ad Limina Apostolorum visit of the Argentine bishops in 2019. After the appointment to Mar der Plata on November 21, the bishop matured the decision to resign while keeping the channel with Rome open. He himself revealed this in the letter in which he wrote that “After discussing the best and He consulted the Holy See“I have decided to resign.”

the future

The bishop is now only emeritus 22 days He wrote in the letter that his future would be in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, where he is currently located, and where he said he would continue to make his donations. “Priestly service“So he is no longer a coadjutor. At the age of 64, the Bishop of Porteno is retiring. “I’m sorry He disappoints “Expectations, I’m confident that this pain will pay off.” He apologized in the message. The Bishops’ Circle, which has the task of gathering all the necessary elements to evaluate the candidates, must take into account the strong independence of judgment of this Pontiff in the selection, but in this case something did not work out. Excellence Who is the bishop? In any case, Mar der Plata will not be left without a diocesan bishop, because the appointment of Monsignor Gustavo Manuel Larrazabal was announced today and the faithful are united in their urgent wishes for their Patriarch Emeritus of Paleña. healing.