Much of the rapprochement between the government of President Cristina Fernández and the Argentine Roman Catholic Church threatened to unravel this week after the Episcopal Conference published a letter lamenting, in stark terms, the rise of violence in Argentina. Jorge Capitanich, the cabinet chief, responded by describing the letter as part of a “deliberate attempt” to blame the federal government for rising crime, when the provincial governments were the authorities responsible. The letter comes at a critical time in the debate over criminal justice: plans to reform the penal code are currently bogged down in congress, with many opposition leaders claiming the reform would benefit criminals.End of preview - This article contains approximately 662 words.
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