AMERICA/ARGENTINA - "God did not create borders": for 65 years a Mass for brotherhood between Chile and Argentina

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Neuquén (Agenzia Fides) - More than two thousand Chileans and Argentines met again at the foot of the "Christ of Tromen", in the province of Neuquén (Argentina-Chile border), to attend Mass which every year, for 65 years, unites the two neighboring nations. The Mass was celebrated on Sunday, March 1st at the border crossing Mamuil Malal de Curarrehue, chaired by the Bishop of the Diocese of Villarrica (Chile), His Exc. Mgr. Francisco Javier Stegmeier Schmidlin, and concelebrated by the Bishop of Neuquén (Argentina), His Exc. Mgr. Virginio Bressanelli, S.C.I.
The Mass and the meeting at the border crossing were born on the initiative of Capuchin Father Francisco Subercaseaux, who was pastor of Pucón and missionary in the Chilean area of Araucanía, where he had been entrusted a parish, according to data from the AICA agency. The "Christ of Tromen" was blessed on February 26, 1950.
During the celebration Mgr. Stegmeier announced that as from next year this anniversary will be celebrated on the first Sunday of March. In his homily, Mgr. Bressanelli stressed: "It is nice to know that in different parts of the Andes brotherhood continues to be celebrated. This means that God did not create borders, but was created by men. We are a family, the family of God". In these 65 years, this annual celebration was not held only once, in 2010, due to the earthquake in Chile. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 04/03/2015)


Share: