[ARCHIVO] President of Chile on the Papal Visit: “We know that this will cause tremendous happiness to millions of our fellow Chileans”

“This will be the second visit of a pope to Chile; the last time was 30 years ago when Pope John Paul II came at a very special moment in our history”, the President said at the start of her press statement.

President Bachelet said that she considered the Pope’s visit to be “a very important moment, because it will allow us to reflect on what unites us as a nation, and how we can put human beings and not money at the center of our national development. And I believe that this speaks to us of how to meet the social and environmental challenges which Pope Francis has talked about, making his position very clear to the whole world”.

The President continued: “We have been working on this for some time; the Pope’s advance party was here and we offered them every chance to visit the various regions which interested them, and we will continue to cooperate. The government will appoint a permanent coordinator who will work to ensure that the Pope’s visit is a resounding success”.

And she concluded “we will expect him, I have no doubt, with affection and with open arms; this will be an important opportunity for many Chileans, and many other people from other countries who have chosen Chile as their second home, to make personal contact with the Head of the Catholic Church”.