Pope John Paul II Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Chile === Before John Paul II's pilgrimage to Latin America, during a meeting with reporters, he criticised [[Augusto Pinochet]]'s regime as "dictatorial". In the words of ''[[The New York Times]]'', he used "unusually strong language" to criticise Pinochet and asserted to journalists that the church in Chile must not only pray, but actively fight for the restoration of democracy in Chile.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/01/world/pope-on-latin-trip-attacks-pinochet-regime.html?pagewanted=1 Pope, on Latin Trip, Attacks Pinochet Regime] ''The New York Times'', 1 April 1987</ref> During his visit to Chile in 1987, John Paul II asked Chile's 31 Catholic bishops to campaign for free elections in the country.<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-1314763.html Pope Tells Chile's Bishops To Press for Free Elections; Pontiff Joins Pinochet on Palace Balcony] ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 3 April 1987 {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> According to [[George Weigel]] and Cardinal [[Stanisław Dziwisz]], he encouraged Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and may even have called for his resignation.<ref>{{cite book|author=George Weigel |title=Biografía de Juan Pablo II—Testigo de Esperanza |language=es |trans-title=Biography of John Paul II—Witness to Hope |publisher=Editorial Plaza & Janés |year=2003 |isbn=978-84-01-01304-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/biografadejuanpa00geor |author-link=George Weigel }}; {{cite book|author=Heraldo Muñoz |title=The Dictator's Shadow: Life under Augusto Pinochet |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 183] |publisher=Basic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-465-00250-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 |author-link=Heraldo Muñoz }}</ref> According to Monsignor [[Sławomir Oder]], the postulator of John Paul II's [[beatification]] cause, John Paul's words to Pinochet had a profound impact on the Chilean dictator. The pope confided to a friend: "I received a letter from Pinochet in which he told me that as a Catholic he had listened to my words, he had accepted them, and he had decided to begin the process to change the leadership of his country."<ref>Slawomir Oder, ''Why He Is a Saint: The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonisation'', p. 107–108, Rizzoli International Publications (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-8478-3631-4}}</ref> During his visit to Chile, John Paul II supported the [[Vicariate of Solidarity]], the church-led pro-democracy, anti-Pinochet organisation. John Paul II visited the Vicariate of Solidarity's offices, spoke with its workers, and "called upon them to continue their work, emphasizing that the Gospel consistently urges respect for human rights".<ref>Timmerman, Jacobo ''Chile: Death in the South'', p. 114, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-517-02902-2}}</ref> While in Chile, John Paul II made gestures of public support of Chile's anti-Pinochet democratic opposition. For instance, he hugged and kissed [[Carmen Gloria Quintana]], a young student who had been nearly burned to death by Chilean police and told her that "We must pray for peace and justice in Chile."<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-04-04/news/8701250770_1_chile-marxist-president-salvador-allende-water-cannons Papal Mass In Chile Erupts In Violence] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', 4 April 1987</ref> Later, he met with several opposition groups, including those that had been declared illegal by Pinochet's government. The opposition praised John Paul II for denouncing Pinochet as a dictator, for many members of Chile's opposition were persecuted for much milder statements. Bishop [[Carlos Camus]], one of the harshest critics of Pinochet's dictatorship within the Chilean Church, praised John Paul II's stance during the papal visit, saying: "I am quite moved, because our pastor supports us totally. Never again will anyone be able to say that we are interfering in politics when we defend human dignity." He added: "No country the Pope has visited has remained the same after his departure. The Pope's visit is a mission, an extraordinary social catechism, and his stay here will be a watershed in Chilean history."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/03/world/pinochet-foes-cheered-by-the-pope-s-presence.html?src=pm Pionchet's Foes Cheered by the Pope's Presence] ''The New York Times'', 3 April 1987</ref> Some have erroneously accused John Paul II of affirming Pinochet's regime by appearing with the Chilean ruler in public. Cardinal [[Roberto Tucci]], the organiser of John Paul II's visits, revealed that Pinochet tricked the pontiff by telling him he would take him to his living room, while in reality he took him to his balcony. Tucci says that the pontiff was "furious".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,7396637,Dlaczego_Jan_Pawel_II_wyszedl_z_Pinochetem_na_balkon.html |title=Dlaczego Jan Paweł II wyszedł z Pinochetem na balkon |language=pl |trans-title=Why John Paul II went to the balcony of Pinochet |newspaper=[[Gazeta Wyborcza]] |date=24 December 2009 |access-date=22 October 2014 |archive-date=23 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023063249/http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,7396637,Dlaczego_Jan_Pawel_II_wyszedl_z_Pinochetem_na_balkon.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page