A Diocese’s Retreat House Occupied: Argentina’s Church Asks for a Peaceful Eviction Near Bariloche

• An Indigenous group occupied Hueche Ruca, a retreat house owned by the Diocese of San Isidro
• The property is near Bariloche in southern Argentina
• A court ordered the group’s removal, but it refused to leave
• The church asked that the eviction be delayed so it could be carried out peacefully

An Indigenous group occupied a retreat house owned by the Catholic Diocese of San Isidro near Bariloche in southern Argentina and refused to leave despite a court order, Crux reported on October 29, 2020.

The property, Cabin Hueche Ruca, is used as a retreat house by the diocese, although it lies within the territory of the Diocese of Bariloche. It is next to 14 acres of national park land occupied by Mapuche families three years earlier. The group occupying the house, Lafken Winkul Mapu, was described in the report as one of the most violent associations in southern Argentina.

A court ordered the group’s removal. The history of the area weighed on the decision. In 2017 a tribal member, Rafael Nahuel, died during a court-ordered eviction near diocesan property. Orlando Carriqueo warned that an eviction in these circumstances could lead to a breakdown in dialogue. In an October 26 statement, the church asked for the eviction to be delayed so it could be carried out peacefully.

The church found itself holding a court order it was reluctant to see enforced.

Jamaican churches with rural land, retreat centres or campsites may also face occupation, sometimes by people with long-standing claims or grievances. A court order is not the end of the matter. The San Isidro diocese’s choice to seek a peaceful process reflects the reality that how a church recovers its property matters as much as whether it does. Regular use, clear boundaries and good relations with neighbours reduce the risk in the first place.

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