Estela de Carlotto asks Pope Leo to support search for missing grandchildren

Estela de Carlotto, a prominent figure in the Argentine human rights organization Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, has appealed to Pope Leo to assist in the search for grandchildren who were abducted during the country’s military dictatorship. The human rights leader presented her request to the pope after attending his final outdoor mass in Buenos Aires province, which was attended by a large crowd.

De Carlotto emphasized that the organization has already identified 140 of the missing grandchildren and is actively searching for an additional 300. She stressed that the search for these grandchildren is ongoing and will not cease even as the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo pass away. The letter to Pope Leo XIV highlights the organization’s previous meetings with Pope Francis, where they sought his support by gaining access to the Catholic Church’s archives that may contain information about their stolen children and grandchildren.

Pope Francis consistently expressed his willingness to cooperate and made strides toward dialogue and reflection on the Church's actions during the era of state terrorism. De Carlotto recounted an instance where Pope Francis facilitated a conversation between the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo and a nun named Monserrat Tribó, who had raised one of the abducted children, allowing the grandmother to speak about the experience.

However, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo were not informed about the outcome of that meeting. Recently, Manuel Gonçalves Granada, a member of the organization's board and son of dictatorship victims, learned that the nun had passed away in Barcelona, Spain. The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo are hopeful that the Vatican may still have the report from the nun's visit and are eager to uncover more information about the missing grandchildren.