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La ciudad de San Miguel de Tucumán, un jardín ...
The city of San Miguel de Tucumán, a garden…
Die Stadt San Miguel de Tucumán, ein Garten...
Foto: StockXchnge © 2006
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... desde el Santuario de Schoenstatt, hogar espiritual
del consejal valiente
... from the Schoenstatt Shrine, spiritual home of the
courageous councilman
… vom Schönstatt-Heiligtum aus, geistige Heimat und
Kraftquelle des mutigen Stadtrates
Foto: Cabral © 2006
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ARGENTINA,mkf. During the last few years, the city of San Miguel de
Tucumán has lost the shine that it had at one time as being the
true "Garden of the Republic of Argentina". We are far from that thriving
Capital, symbol of the Northeast and with a spirit of progress. This means
that we should work ardently so that our City will again be the Garden
of our country, and the neighbors can live with dignity in the neighborhood
of their choice to develop their projects of life, and those of their
children. These words are found on the web page of Eduardo de Zavalía,
councilman of the city of San Miguel de Tucamán, Argentina, and
a member of the Schoenstatt Family.
Eduardo de Zavalía is 43 years old and he is an electronic engineer.
He is married to Liliana Stordeur and they have five daughters. At the
present time he is a councilman of the city of Tucumán, and he
is a professor of Information in Marketing at Northern University of Saint
Thomas Aquinas. He is also a member of the Schoenstatt Family Work. How
do you come out clean where everyone goes out soiled? How do you live
with the corruption without dying while trying?, he asked a Schoenstatt
Father before assuming his duty as councilman. "It is Clear", he says,
"that my mission is to sow the example of change, that things can be done
correctly and success can be accomplished. . Let’s suppose that at the
beginning of the term there is 100% corruption and at the end of term
it had diminished to 90%, this is already a success. Because the next
Christian that takes the post will begin from 90%. We know that this will
be a long road, but we should leave seeds in society so that others can
continue, so they can take it farther.
In the midst of a war of insults and fist fights…
Although it seems a contradiction of terms, it is possible. On Tuesday,
September 5th, Eduardo de Zavalía wrote to his friends
of the Movement: "I want like to tell you that yesterday during the council
session, I deliberately made a strong defense for life from conception
and against abortion, which had a positive reception from the other councilmen,
who determined that a declaration, in favor of life from its conception
and that it repudiate all practices of abortion, should be approved and
issued. Furthermore, there was a moment of silence for the two victims
of abortion that took place last week".
Like in many countries of South America, and also in Argentina, the subject
of abortion always emerges anew. Last week two "legal" abortions were
performed after an extensive judicial battle…In many European countries
this is already a "sad routine" that sometimes does not move us any more,
here it is still experienced as a drama…the drama of killing an innocent
and totally helpless and dependent human being.
An electronic newspaper, the "Journalism of Truth", commented on his
action through an outstanding article:
The Deliberating Council of San Miguel de Tucumán met in the midst
of a noisy protest in which the police had to intervene by firing rubber
bullets while the city employees struggled to enter the site. In spite
of the nightmare and the atmosphere of violence the Council approved with
an official majority several controversial projects, such as; for example,
that the police will be empowered to issue tickets. Furthermore they ruled
that the itinerant peddlers at the center of the city had to move to two
central sites. They approved the purchase of the complete package of shares
of the Macro group to build a shopping mall. The broadening of the network
of gas was approved and the director was given authority to dispose of
the 17 million to liquidate debts. But in the midst of this war of insults
and wide spread fist fights, there was something that is worthy to emphasize
and that is the attitude of the Councilman, Eduardo de Zavalía,
who asked for life. It is sign that in our society not everything is lost
and it is very worthwhile to make oneself heard.
Eduardo de Zavalía, Councilman from Recrear, spoke first during
the period of tributes to ask for a minute of silence for the two lives
that were terminated through abortion. De Zavalía asked for a minute
of silence for those two aborted babies, which was granted. Today, the
Councilman said it is Saint Ramón Nonato, who was named like that
because he was born but his mother died, along with Pedro Nolasco were
the creators and who started of the Order of Mercy in Spain and then they
came to this country bringing with them the devotion to the Blessed Mother
of Mercy, our Patroness. In honor of San Ramón Nonato I want to
ask for a minute of silence for the two lives that were lost in the public
abortions which took place last week and for all the abortions that are
unknown.
Later, during the general considerations he said: This session is one
with many important subjects, such as: those of the "varitas" (they are
city employees that work as inspectors of transit, or municipal policemen.
They direct traffic when there are no traffic lights, or municipal policemen,
and they set fines in case of infractions); those of the 30 million of
loans; those of gas, the itinerant peddlers, etc. But today this session
is matter of life or death.
The opportunity to defend life
Today we, the 18 councilmen, will have the opportunity to defend life.
For once, may Tucumán be known for being in favor of life and not
like, unfortunately, we are known for death, be it malnourished or missing
children. Today, I reiterate, we have the opportunity of sending a message
in favor of life.
Everyone knows that our National Constitution in Article 75 clause 23
prohibits abortion, prioritizing the life that is about to be born; that
the constitutional social project orders the legislative powers to dictate
a regimen of a special and integral social security that protects a child
since its conception.
That our new provincial constitution definitely expresses that life should
be defended since its conception in the maternal womb. A few days ago
our hearts were broken when we saw the pictures of dead and mutilated
children as a result of the bombings in Beirut, there wasn’t anyone who
did not feel pain for these innocent children, victims of a brutal war.
Last week, under the criteria that it was a consequence of violence, or
because they were handicapped mothers, or that it was an injustice, or
for whatever reason, they have killed, and – I can assure you – innocent
children have been mutilated.
I humbly offer all my support, material as well as personal, to prevent
an abortion and for the child that is born without a home
I ask myself: why must an innocent and helpless child be killed because
of an injustice that someone else committed? Wouldn’t be more just to
punish the aggressor? If there is no death penalty in Argentina for the
violator, why should we allow that death be applied to the innocent and
helpless…?
In San Miguel de Tucmán we should defend life, and much more that
of the unborn, in honor of our patroness of the Blessed Mother of Mercy,
of the Order of Mercy of San Ramón Nonato; therefore, to defend
life should be the politics of the state, the 365 days of the year; we
should have educational and awareness campaigns to avoid reaching the
extreme that a mother, as difficult as her situation may be, would want
to abort her child, since abortion never resolves her real problem, the
death of a child never improves the life of its mother.
Just as there is a campaign for the donation of organs, it a bigger reason,
if a mother –for whatever reason – does not want her child, we should
help her to give it up in adoption to the thousands of couples that want
a child and they can’t have one. And if helps a little, I humbly offer
all my support material as well as personal, to avoid an abortion and
so that the child that is born will have a home. After all this, if there
is still someone who wants to abort, today we can say: not in this city,
because in San Miguel de Tucamán, we defend life.
This goes beyond a topic for the confessional, that as a Christian, I
of course defend it, this is a natural right to life and since it is in
the power of the city to regulate the activities that can develop in its
territory, I have reserved a project of ordinance that prohibits the practice
of performing abortions in San Mguel de Tucumán, and I hope, with
all my heart, that I can count on your unanimous support, the Councilman
de Zavalía concluded; leaving everyone perplexed because they did
not expect anyone to bring this up. Evidently, there are those who can
hold their heads up high and therefore, they do not have to be afraid,
Zavalía concluded.
To forge a new country
How did Eduardo decide to enter into politics? It was a retreat of the
Family work that impelled it. "In April of 2003 my wife and I participated
in a spiritual retreat for couples that the Schoenstatt Movement in Tucumán
offers" annually, he relates. The subject of the retreat revolved around
the theme "we forge the new country". There were workshops about the comparison
of the old country of injustice, corruption, of the malnourished, and
that of the new country, that all Christians aspire, with justice, equality,
honesty, and work, and basically that commitment that we should assume
to bring about this change.
A few days after the spiritual retreat, and a month before the elections
in his province, they asked him to participate in a sub-motto. At that
time, in Tucumám, the law of mottos reigned, that is to say, that
to participate in the political parties they constituted a motto and the
different internal streams constituted sub-mottos: so, when the common
people voted, they simultaneously voted for the internal party and the
global election.
The subject of the proposal was taken to the family table where it was
debated and because of the very bad image of the politicians and politics
in general, they decided not to participate. About fifteen days before
the closing of filing, a friend offered to integrate another sub-motto,
for another party with a better image than the first one; once again it
was discussed at the family table, where it was again debated and again
the decision was not to participate in the contest. The weekend before
the closing of the filing deadline (it was Monday, at 8:00 p.m.) for the
third time they asked him to participate with a sub-motto that was different
from the other ones, it was constituted completely by people who had never
been in politics. Before all of this, his wife commented: "how many, more
calls to we need to understand?’
"It was a challenge, Eduardo said. "David against Goliath, but we trusted
with faith, almost as something funny, without making it a big thing.
He affirms that his support is from his family, Schoenstatt, and his life
experience, his teaching at the university. "We are both professors of
Applied Information and Marketing in the field of Business at the Catholic
University of Tucumán, this was knowledge that was strongly applied
in the campaign and in each segment of the electorate in order to give
each one an appropriate message", he commented.
A signpost of the road
"You have the mark the way for thousands of committed Christians so that
they will occupy the seats, in this way decisions will take a different
route", he shares. It is worthwhile to also make it known that there are
several people committed to politics within the Schoenstatt Movement –
for example, as mayors, and deputies. There many of them in Paraguay.
It would be beautiful to make contact with them, Eduardo said, to share
experiences. "We are not open to sending messages exposing the things
in which we coincide and to let those who defend us know that they are
not alone; for that reason it is very important to cultivate this practice
among Christians", he affirms.
"As a society we should stop transmitting to our children that politics
are bad and that all politicians are corrupt, because the only thing we
will do is that they will not participate as citizens and they will look
badly upon those who try to participate in public life, with good intentions.
In this way we will always suffer the consequences of bad politics. We
should teach them to differentiate between the good and the bad politicians
and to inculcate their active participation in things that are for the
common good, not only in a political party. It can be participation in
an organization in the defense of animals, the environment, pro life,
Catholic movements in the parishes; to truly be committed laity. It is
important to know that there are Christians in all the parties; so it
is necessary to assume the commitment, to take the seats, and above all,
once there, withstand the attacks of the "system", that does not want
anything to change, and to begin to produce the changes based on values,
the virtues and the truth". The atmosphere that the Schoenstatt family
from Tucumán gave as a message to the people on the day of the
blessing of their Shrine resounds: "May Tucumán be a flourishing
Garden of Mary in the Republic, where small reflections of Christ and
Mary will bloom and flourish. And conformed in Christ, they may be his
bearers in the world, to, in this way. build the Reign of the Father here
on earth".
Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA
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