Pope carries Chilean miners in his heart

Pope Benedict XVI said on Thursday that he “carries the people Chile in his heart”, victims of a recent earthquake as well as the 33 miners trapped since August in a collapsed mine. The Holy Fathers words were contained in his greeting to the new Chilean Ambassador to the Holy See Fernando Zegers Santa Cruz.

In his address the Pope writes “from the outset I wanted to express my closeness to the people of Chile and, through the visit of my Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, I sent my comfort and hope to victims, their families and the many affected, who are always present in my prayers”. In February this year an 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Southern American nation triggering a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns, killing over 500 people and leaving thousands homeless.

The Pope goes on to say that neither does he forget the fate of the 33 minors trapped in a collapsed mine in the remote region of Atacama since August last, adding that he “fervently prays for them and their loved ones”. In this regard, Pope Benedict notes and appreciates “the unity of the Chilean people in the face of suffering, their generous and supportive response when suffering intensifies and the immense effort that the Catholic Church in Chile, many of whose communities have also been sorely tried by the earthquake, to help those most in need”.

In his address the Pope also mentions Chile’s celebration of the bicentennial of its independence this year. He speaks of the Church’s input into events “that defined the country” as well as “the many fruits of the Gospel that have blessed this land”.

The Pope points to last year's celebration of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Peace and Friendship Treaty with sister nation Argentina, brought about through papal mediation, describing it as “a shining example of the immense good that peace brings and the importance of preserving and promoting those moral and religious values that constitute the fabric of the innermost soul of a people”.

In conclusion Pope Benedict writes “In carrying out its specific mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Church seeks to meet the expectations and questions of men”. “When the church raises its voice against the major challenges and problems today's such as war and terrorism, hunger and thirst, the extreme poverty of so many human beings, several terrible epidemics, but also the safeguard of human life in all its stages from conception until natural death and the promotion of the family founded on marriage and primarily responsible for education, they are not acting in their own special interests” but for the “the common good and orderly progress of the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of all”.