Pope Francis received the president of Chile in the midst of the crisis of the Church in this country

The Chilean Church is in crisis. During this year, seven Chilean bishops have submitted their resignation to the highest leader of the Catholic Church. With this massive renunciation, the Church finds itself in a complicated position regarding the allegations of sexual abuse against members of this institution. Until very recently, Pope Francis had overlooked these accusations, but they are increasingly difficult to ignore.

Leer en español: Esto sucedió en la visita de Sebastián Piñera al Papa Francisco

In the middle of this complicated and lamentable situation, the Pope has decided to receive in the Vatican Sebastián Piñera, president of Chile, this Saturday, October 13. Initially, it was thought that this meeting would be about the Hague ruling on maritime demand with Bolivia, but it was more about the crisis of the Church in Chile.

The meeting

The meeting took place on the morning of October 13 in the personal library of the Pontiff after having shaken hands in the Tronetto room of the Apostolic Palace. The audience is the first of the Chilean president with Pope Francisco in his second term in office.

He had previously met with the Pontiff during his first term. According to Infobae, the meeting lasted about half an hour and initially only the Heads of State of Chile and the Vatican took part in it. Then, the Chilean delegation joined, composed of the first lady, Cecilia Morel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Ampuero, and 12 parliamentarians. Also joining were entrepreneurs Alfonso Swett, president of the Confederation of Production and Commerce, and Claudio Muñoz, president of Telefónica Chile.

According to the newspaper El Deber, at the meeting with the Pope, issues of environment, migration in Latin America, the crisis of the Church in Chile, and the economic and political crisis in Nicaragua were discussed. It is also said that the Chilean president, of Catholic-Christian tradition, asked Pope Francis for some advice and finally his blessing.

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The Head of State of the Vatican gave the Chilean his usual gift to the presidents: a sculpture that represents an olive leaf, wishing with this to govern a country in peace. He also gave him four texts written by him among those who, according to the newspaper La Tercera, were one on the Gospel, on the family, and on the care of the common home. In response, Sebastián Piñera gave the Pontiff a box of lapiz lazuli and a religious stole hand-woven. The author of the garment is the Chilean craftswoman Mireya Bustos of the Artesanias Foundation of Chile.

After his meeting with the Pontiff, Sebastián Piñera met with the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolín, and with him the issue of scandals in the Catholic Church in Chile was discussed in more depth. The topics of Bolivia and the renewal of the episcopate in Chile were also mentioned, to which Francisco was forced after the massive resignation of the bishops and denunciations of sexual abuse by religious in that country.

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Rodríguez
Translated from “Esto sucedió en la visita de Sebastián Piñera al Papa Francisco”

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