Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Diocesis de La Rioja
La Rioja (Fides News Agency) – “This year we commemorate the murder of Bishop Enrique Angelelli, the priests Murias and Longueville, and husband and father Wenceslao Pedernera. This commemoration allows us to recognize the selfless dedication of their lives. Today, we are privileged to draw from the source of life and teachings they left us. They were witnesses of mercy, especially close and compassionate to those who needed them most,” affirms Bishop Dante Braida of La Rioja in a statement sent to Fides, on the significance of commemorating the martyrs of the Argentine diocese 50 years after their murder (see Fides, 19/6/2026).
“Just as martyrs were needed then, our time needs our generous commitment,” emphasizes Bishop Braida, who is also President of the Argentine Social Pastoral Ministry , “to resist the temptation of individualism and to be encouraged by shared dreams; to foster more open and inclusive communities for all those who have lost hope and need God’s mercy through simple and compassionate relationships; to live together in a spirit of greater understanding and patience, accepting one another in our differences and valuing our abilities; and to promote a life of prayer at every age and in every situation, finding the true meaning of our existence in encountering the Lord.”
Providing a brief profile of the four martyrs of La Rioja, Braida highlights their key characteristics. “Bishop Enrique Angelelli invites us to live our faith in the history that is unfolding in our lives today and continues to illuminate the Christian commitment of our time,” says Bishop Braida. “The legacy of the martyrs calls us to ‘cultivate the social dimension of faith’ and to respond responsibly to the challenges of the present. Fathers Carlos and Gabriele lived the word they had heard in their daily lives, in simple, everyday service to others. But they also did so with a prophetic voice when necessary, denouncing injustices and threats that violated human dignity.” Bishop Braida concludes: “I would like to highlight the powerful message of the life of Blessed Venceslao Pedernera. He worked tirelessly for a more just world, promoting marriage and the Christian family, taking responsibility for his social obligations, and especially striving for justice in productive sectors that valued the work of laborers.” At the end of his life, his pursuit of justice transformed into an immeasurable expression of mercy toward those who had not experienced it. “Forgive, forgive, and do not hate,” was his final message, “filled with pure mercy, a mercy that is an expression of the faith he had cultivated throughout his life.” They all “embody different vocations, and each teaches us, in their own way, to give ourselves entirely to others; thus, the commemoration we celebrate today will be sincere.”
“They gave their lives, not only on the day of their death, but also in their daily witness to the Gospel,” the bishop emphasized. “They met the diverse situations of life with its light and strove for change through concrete action in the world. Their lives were a testimony of to how to live the Gospel amidst hardship and to love God and neighbor with all one’s strength. They sought liberation from every form of slavery and led others to a fulfilled life as members of a community and within it.” “Here in La Rioja, the martyrs for peace acted as a fruit of justice. Here they were persecuted because they lived out their individual missions, because they practiced justice. To live together in the spirit of mission therefore means to improve the world, to bring the Good News to all people and families, to all parts of society. It means to be channels of liberation from everything that binds us and limits our growth,” he affirms.
“What are the greatest challenges we face in this time? What human and social realities most urgently require a process of liberation? How do we grow as a prayer community, and how do we live our communion?” the Bishop of La Rioja addresses the community of his diocese, inviting them to “seek answers together, listen to one another, engage in dialogue, discern as a community, and walk together in the spirit of mission. Always.” (AP) (Fides News Agency, 7/7/2026)
