Post by account_disabled on Jan 29, 2024 6:00:33 GMT
“Thank you, Lord, you finally heard our prayers.” This was the reaction of Lucía Hiriart de Pinochet, the wife of the Chilean dictator, in 1983, when the Vatican informed who would be the replacement for Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez , who had turned 75. The new archbishop of Santiago would be Monsignor Juan Francisco Fresno who, “along with his prestige as a holy man, had a reputation as a conservative,” according to the expression of the Christian Democrat leader Patricio Aylwin . But Pinochet's wife was wrong. In fact, Fresno had a more conservative profile than Silva Henríquez - he had been one of the few bishops who had congratulated the dictator after the coup and was close to nuncio Angelo Sodano , who had a close relationship with Pinochet -.
However, the arrival of Fresno, which initially worried the members of the Vicariate of Solidarity, did not represent a step back in the position of the Church against the dictatorship. Juan Francisco Fresno Juan Phone Number Database Francisco Fresno The new cardinal took office on May 3, 1983. A week later there was the first major protest against the dictatorship, which was savagely repressed. Fresno then marked its distance from the regime. He went to the headquarters of the Vicariate of Solidarity – an organization of the Church, created in 1976 to protect those persecuted by the dictatorship – and said: “I want to congratulate you for what you do, this has to continue.” With Congress closed, parties and unions banned, the independent press silenced and any sign of opposition persecuted, the Church and the Vicariate became a bastion in the defense of human rights and the only actor in opposition to the regime.
The Church and the Vicariate became a bastion in the defense of human rights and the only actor in opposition to the regime Chile condemns seven retired soldiers for the kidnapping and murder of Víctor Jara The actions of the Chilean Church after the overthrow of Allende contrasts with the role that the same institution played in Argentina, after the 1976 coup. There were some prelates who raised their voices against the repression, there was even a bishop murdered - Monsignor Enrique Angelelli , from La Rioja -, but complicity prevailed. It was not like that in Chile. Raúl Silva Henríquez with Salvador Allende Raúl Silva Henríquez with Salvador Allende Two days after the coup, when the military carried out a relentless hunt for opponents.
However, the arrival of Fresno, which initially worried the members of the Vicariate of Solidarity, did not represent a step back in the position of the Church against the dictatorship. Juan Francisco Fresno Juan Phone Number Database Francisco Fresno The new cardinal took office on May 3, 1983. A week later there was the first major protest against the dictatorship, which was savagely repressed. Fresno then marked its distance from the regime. He went to the headquarters of the Vicariate of Solidarity – an organization of the Church, created in 1976 to protect those persecuted by the dictatorship – and said: “I want to congratulate you for what you do, this has to continue.” With Congress closed, parties and unions banned, the independent press silenced and any sign of opposition persecuted, the Church and the Vicariate became a bastion in the defense of human rights and the only actor in opposition to the regime.
The Church and the Vicariate became a bastion in the defense of human rights and the only actor in opposition to the regime Chile condemns seven retired soldiers for the kidnapping and murder of Víctor Jara The actions of the Chilean Church after the overthrow of Allende contrasts with the role that the same institution played in Argentina, after the 1976 coup. There were some prelates who raised their voices against the repression, there was even a bishop murdered - Monsignor Enrique Angelelli , from La Rioja -, but complicity prevailed. It was not like that in Chile. Raúl Silva Henríquez with Salvador Allende Raúl Silva Henríquez with Salvador Allende Two days after the coup, when the military carried out a relentless hunt for opponents.