Patrick Rice
Encyclopedia
Patrick Michael Rice was an Irish
human rights activist and former priest
. He was a campaigner on behalf of the families of the victims of Argentina's dirty war
, the "disappeared". He himself was kidnapped and tortured whilst working as a missionary priest in Argentina.
He was born in Ireland in Fermoy, Co Cork, to a farming family. He joined the "Divine Word Missionaries
", studied philosophy
and theology
at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was ordained in 1970. In the same year he was posted to Argentina. Soon afterwards he left the Divine Word Missionaries, and in 1972 he entered into the Fraternidad Hermanos del Evangelio Carlos de Foucauld. His first post of assignment was in the Santa Fe Province
. He later continued his work in Buenos Aires
, initially in the La Boca
town and later in the Villa Porteña Nº3 in Villa Soldati
.
In the years following, he ran extensive human rights education programmes and helped form a union movement all the while working as a labourer priest. He also began on what he would later be highly-regarded for, his investigation of the "disappeared". Through his social work in these Villas miseria
he successfully gained the trust and respect of the residents of these areas, the cooperatives, and the Catholic mission. It was through his work in a chapel in these villas that he met the priest Carlos Bustos, and also a group of lay members, amongst which was the young catechist Fátima Cabrera, who later married Rice.
They both were kidnapped by the terrorist dictatorship
on 11 October 1976 in La Plata
by security forces.
Rice was hooded and tortured brutally and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
took charge of his case.
After pressures of the Irish government, Rice was finally freed. Soon, he exiled in London
and came back to the country in 1984.
Many of his friends at the time (like Bustos) were killed or disappeared.
After renouncing as priest he formed a family with Fátima Cabrera and they had three children. Since then, Rice was a renowned human rights
advocate.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
human rights activist and former priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. He was a campaigner on behalf of the families of the victims of Argentina's dirty war
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
, the "disappeared". He himself was kidnapped and tortured whilst working as a missionary priest in Argentina.
He was born in Ireland in Fermoy, Co Cork, to a farming family. He joined the "Divine Word Missionaries
Divine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
", studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was ordained in 1970. In the same year he was posted to Argentina. Soon afterwards he left the Divine Word Missionaries, and in 1972 he entered into the Fraternidad Hermanos del Evangelio Carlos de Foucauld. His first post of assignment was in the Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
. He later continued his work in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, initially in the La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...
town and later in the Villa Porteña Nº3 in Villa Soldati
Villa Soldati
Villa Soldati is a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located in the South-West of the city. It has a population of approximately 41,000 people, 40 % of which live in Barrio Soldati, a public housing development built between 1973 and 1979....
.
In the years following, he ran extensive human rights education programmes and helped form a union movement all the while working as a labourer priest. He also began on what he would later be highly-regarded for, his investigation of the "disappeared". Through his social work in these Villas miseria
Villa miseria
A villa miseria is a form of shanty town or slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements. The term is a compound noun made of the Spanish words villa "village, small town" and miseria "misery, dejection"...
he successfully gained the trust and respect of the residents of these areas, the cooperatives, and the Catholic mission. It was through his work in a chapel in these villas that he met the priest Carlos Bustos, and also a group of lay members, amongst which was the young catechist Fátima Cabrera, who later married Rice.
They both were kidnapped by the terrorist dictatorship
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
on 11 October 1976 in La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
by security forces.
Rice was hooded and tortured brutally and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
took charge of his case.
After pressures of the Irish government, Rice was finally freed. Soon, he exiled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and came back to the country in 1984.
Many of his friends at the time (like Bustos) were killed or disappeared.
After renouncing as priest he formed a family with Fátima Cabrera and they had three children. Since then, Rice was a renowned human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate.