Alberto Ángel Zanchetta
Encyclopedia
Father Alberto Ángel Zanchetta was Secretary and General Chancellor of Ordinariato Castrense (Military Bishopric) of Argentina.
at the Navy Sub-Officers School of the Mechanics
, or ESMA, which oversaw the torture and disappearance of 5,000 people during the Dirty War
in Argentina. According to naval officer Adolfo Scilingo
(the first Latin American military officer convicted for his participation in Operation Condor
), Zanchetta consoled the officers who were stricken with anguish from tasks they were asked to fulfill, from routine torture and executions to participation in death flights
, in which prisoners were drugged, stripped naked and pushed to their deaths from helicopters.
Involvement in the Dirty War
Zanchetta served as a chaplainMilitary chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
at the Navy Sub-Officers School of the Mechanics
ESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
, or ESMA, which oversaw the torture and disappearance of 5,000 people during the 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...
in Argentina. According to naval officer Adolfo Scilingo
Adolfo Scilingo
Adolfo Scilingo was an Argentine naval officer who is currently serving 30 years in a Spanish prison after being convicted on April 19, 2005 for crimes against humanity, including extra-judicial execution.-Charges:Scilingo was charged under Spain's universal jurisdiction laws by investigating...
(the first Latin American military officer convicted for his participation in Operation Condor
Operation Condor
Operation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
), Zanchetta consoled the officers who were stricken with anguish from tasks they were asked to fulfill, from routine torture and executions to participation in death flights
Death flights
The death flights were a form of forced disappearance routinely practiced during the Argentine "Dirty War", begun by Admiral Luis María Mendía. Victims of death flights were first drugged into a stupor, hustled aboard fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, stripped naked and pushed into the Río de la...
, in which prisoners were drugged, stripped naked and pushed to their deaths from helicopters.