Venerable Jorge Gottau

Jorge Gottau (1917–1994) was an Argentine Redemptorist priest, ordained in 1942 and appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Añatuya by Pope John XXIII in 1961. He was a council father at the Second Vatican Council, participating in all four sessions held between 1962 and 1965. With this new conciliar spirit, he carried out tireless pastoral work in what was then considered the poorest diocese in Argentina: Añatuya. During his 31-year episcopate, he established 15 new parishes and more than 200 chapels, with the collaboration of priests, religious, and a wide network of committed laypeople both inside and outside the diocese. He established 26 educational centers and 7 homes for children, the elderly, and the disabled. He promoted cooperatives and the so-called "Salado Project," which benefited hundreds of small rural producers. He managed the construction of canals, cisterns, and health clinics. He created a housing plan aimed at eradicating "rancho" dwellings. He also implemented branches of Caritas Argentina and soup kitchens in every parish, and organized 3 radio stations, a sports center, and a cultural center. Inspired by him, the "Más por Menos" (More for Less) national collection was created in 1970, named for its goal—that those who have more should help those who have less—which is intended to alleviate the needs of the most impoverished dioceses in Argentina and is considered one of the most admirable social initiatives of the Argentine Church. During his episcopate, the percentage of baptized persons in the diocese grew to reach 95.6% of the population in 1990, a figure that has never been surpassed. Due to his work carried out under such adverse conditions, Jorge Gottau was nicknamed "the bishop of human development." Following his resignation due to age in 1992, he remained Bishop Emeritus of Añatuya until his death in the city of Buenos Aires in 1994.