The Francis-appointed archbishop who has outraged conservatives over his book on the art of kissing

The well-known animosity between the Pope Francisco and the most conservative sectors of the Catholic Church have a new chapter. And this time, as if it were a novel, it involves poetry, political charges and kisses.

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On July 1, the Vatican Press Office announced that the until then Archbishop of La Plata, Víctor Manuel Fernández, was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a position that he would assume from September to replace the Spanish Jesuit Luis Francisco Ladaria.

With this new position, Monsignor Fernández basically becomes the new person in charge of safeguarding the doctrinal orthodoxy of the Catholic Church.

In addition to the prefecture, the Argentine religious nicknamed ‘Tucho’ was also named president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission.

POLEMIC WORK

With two charges, it was estimable that the most conservative wing of Catholicism would scrutinize every corner of Fernández’s history. And it was precisely in that search that they found “Heal me with your mouth. The art of kissing a book of about 80 pages written by ‘Tucho’ in 1995, when he still dreamed of being a poet.

In his work, the 60-year-old religious today delves into his reflections on the oscula, its various variants, and the emotions they provoke in the participants in the act of love, using very plain terms and aimed at a youthful audience.

Fernández’s work was published in 1995 and consists of about 80 pages. (The Nation, from Argentina / GDA /)

Here is a fragment that better depicts the tenor of the book: “A couple with a lot of sex, a lot of sexual satisfaction, but few kisses like people, or with kisses that say nothing, is digging, with each sexual union, the grave of love, They create routine, tiredness and boredom, until one of the two finds something more human”.

Media with a conservative tendency, such as the Zenit portal, have cited the work to ironize the popularity of Monsignor Fernández and attribute it to his gifts as a writer. The priest, for his part, has been calm during an interview, assuring that they cannot accuse him “of anything” because his work “does not contain any heresy or error.”

Italian commentator Matteo de Mattei, a frequent critic of the pope, called the appointment “one of the most disturbing acts of Francis’s pontificate, not only because of the choice of the questionable character, but also because of the unusual letter that accompanied his appointment.”

PAST PROBLEMS

Fernández’s literary harvest, however, is not limited solely to his book on kisses. During his presentation to office, the Vatican listed more than 300 texts written by the religious, who has also been rector of the Argentine Pontifical Catholic University, head of the Argentine Theological Society and president of the Argentine Bishops’ Commission on Faith and Culture.

At the time of his appointment, Tucho was serving as Archbishop of La Plata, in Argentina. (The Nation, from Argentina / GDA /)

It should be noted, however, that this is not the first time that Fernández has been involved in a controversy promoted by the religious conservative wing. Curiously, the last time was also when Jorge Bergoglio appointed him to a position.

In 2009, the then cardinal named ‘Tucho’ rector of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, causing a series of “controversial publications” made by him to be sent anonymously to the future Pope.

The package included, for example, a text by Fernández on gay marriage. The controversy delayed his appointment for two years in which, according to the testimony of ‘Tucho’ himself published in 2013, a Vatican congregation refused to listen to his explanations of the accusations.

As then, however, everything indicates that Francisco will not back down with his appointment. Especially since the profile of ‘Tucho’ fits the path of renewal that he has shown during his pontificate.

Source: Elcomercio