SANTO DAIME CHURCH IN ARGENTINA FIGHTS FOR ITS LEGALIZATION
The 51 year old Argentinian businessman, Eduardo Pesquero, a divorced father of two, is the legal representative of Cefluris/Santo Daime in Argentina, which is officially known as "The Church of Santo Daime -- Eclectic Church of the Universal Light, of the Republic of Argentina."
He explained that he became acquainted with this religious group in 1990, on the occasion of a visit that Alex Polari made to Argentina. (*) The contact was made through Eduardo´s brother, the translator Daniel Pesquero, who is currently the head of the Céu da Nova Era church in São Lourenço da Serra (SP).
It was only in that year (1990) that these spiritual practices began to be carried out in Argentina. At the present time the group has small branches in [Neuquén, Córdoba, Santa Fé (two different spots), Missiones and Buenos Aires (Santa Maria del Buen Ayre and Mar del Plata churches], with a total of 100 followers.
The group began the process of legalizing itself three years ago by founding the Associação Civil Vera Cruz del Sur, which carries out social and environmental activities. On September 29 2005 the Daimistas applied to the "Secretary of Religion" of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Religion for permission to be included on the official list of "churches or religious communities". In September 2006 the government denied the request, arguing that Daime (or ayahuasca) is "an offense against public health". In April 2007 the group appealed against this decision and is still waiting for a decision about it. The lawyer Dr. Jorge Cosenza is confident that that "the government must respect the right of religious freedom, guaranteed by the constitution."
To contact Eduardo Pesquero, write to the e-mail: pesqueroseguros@hotmail.com
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(*) This is a more detailed account of the founding of the group in Argentina, by the anthropologist Victor Hugo Lacazza, which was sent to us afterwards.
On August 6, 1987 the couple Alberto and Rosa Boerr (he is Argentinian and she Brazilian), followers of CEFLURIS in Mauá were invited by "María Adela", who is devoted to disseminating "new age" rituals, to hold a Santo Daime ceremony in Buenos Aires where, in addition to the abovementioned couple, the Argentinians Sandra and Eduardo Rossi participated. The subsequent development of the church in that city led Alex Polari and Marco Imperial, in 1989, to visit the group which had been formed to inaugurate the practices of the church in an official way.
To read Hugo´s account, click here.