On his second day in Chile, Pope Francis faced one of the most complicated parts of the trip: Temuco. It is an area of strong tensions between the government and the indigenous communities.
While there, the pope asked for the communities be respected and protected. The Mass was very characteristic of this message, with decorations and music from the indigenous peoples.
The celebration was on the land the Mapuche accuse the government of expropriating from them. It was also a place of detention and torture during the years of Augusto Pinochet.
The pope strongly demanded respect and unity, remembering the words of one of the main artists from Chile: Violeta Parra.
POPE FRANCIS
'This land, if we look through the eyes of tourists, will leave us ecstatic, but later we will continueour course without further ado and remember the beautiful landscapes. But if we put our ear to the ground, we will hear it sing, and sing with sadness, ‘Arauco has a sorrow that cannot be silenced, the injustices of centuries that everyone sees taking place.'
Pope Francis asked everyone to overcome their differences. He said unity is an art that needs weavers who know how to sew a beautiful dress, while including the differences of one another. Unity, he said, is not achieved by suppressing differences, but by relying on them.
POPE FRANCIS
'We need one another, and our differences so that this land can remain beautiful! It is the only weapon we have against the ‘deforestation’ of hope. That is why we pray: Lord, make us artisans of unity.'
The pope also warned against two types of violence that can undermine hope: that of agreements that become unimplemented ideas and physical violence that directly seeks to suppress differences.
POPE FRANCIS
'Violence begets violence, destruction increases fragmentation and separation. Violence eventually makes a most just cause into a lie. That is why we say ‘no to destructive violence’ ineither of its two forms.'
Pope Francis called for respect for indigenous communities and also for the environment. Above all, what he launched during this Mass was a powerful message for dialogue and reconciliation.
