Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Temuco (Agenzia Fides) - "We see with sorrow the suffering of so many families, so we insist: stop to violence in our Araucanía! As mentioned before, violence begets violence. Justice, dialogue and peace must reign! As a Church we reaffirm that dialogue in truth is the only responsible way to build a society in which there is always justice for all. "
This is what is said in a statement sent to Fides Agency by the Vicar General of the Diocese of San José de Temuco, father Giglio Linfati Cantergiani, who after quoting the Pope's message for World Day of Peace this year, says: "We deeply deplore what the region is experiencing, these irrational acts for human and democratic coexistence.
We pray to God that these events are never repeated."
The statement was made public on January 4, following the serious news of another burnt house, where the couple Werner Luchsinger Lemp and Vivian McKay died in the area called "General López" in the town of Vilcún, 25 kilometers from the capital, in the region of La Araucanía. The President of Chile, who went on site immediately after this tragic event, told the local press: "This government will work to combat terrorism that is affecting the area. the law with all the rigor will be applied. I want to be absolutely clear : This fight is not against the Mapuche people, but against a minority of violent people and terrorists, and must be fought with the utmost rigor of the law."
The conflict in the area has a long history, since small groups of indigenous radicals have asked the ownership of ancestral lands and autonomy in the area (see Fides 02/05/2012; 25/07/2012). (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/01/2013)
