AMERICA/CHILE - Araucania: final report of the Commission led by Mgr. Vargas

Wednesday, 25 January 2017 indigenous   politics   violence  

Santiago (Agenzia Fides) - In a public statement, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Conference of Chile, thanked the Bishop of the Diocese of Temuco, His Exc. Mgr. Héctor Vargas, and the members of the Advisory Commission of the President of the Republic for Araucanía, led by the Bishop, who delivered its final report to the President of the Republic on Monday, 23 January (see Fides 11/08/2016, 17/10/2016, 29/12/2016).
The note of the Bishops, sent to Fides, points out three important aspects highlighted by the Commission: the historical reality of the Mapuche people; the plight of victims of rural violence, which has reached the point of burning the churches of various Christian denominations; the reality of extreme poverty in the region.
According to the Standing Committee, the report presents "a reality of injustice, abandonment and violence that the Church has denounced and accompanied during years of evangelization and mission of service in the area, from the first missionaries to date, both the the presence of the diocesan Churches and religious congregations present in the region".
The note concludes by recalling previous documents of the Bishops of the south of the country, where it is noted that "the lack of dialogue endangers exclusion, poverty and violence", which is why we must applaud this initiative of dialogue with the participation of several representatives of the region.
"We are confident that society as a whole will support this effort", concludes the text. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 25/01/2017)


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