Chilean cardinal hopeful about country’s future

Santiago, Chile, Sep 19, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, said this week he was hopeful about the future of the South American country and he expressed thanks to God for the blessings Chile has received.

During the recitation of the Te Deum at the archdiocesan Cathedral to mark the country’s national holiday, Cardinal Errazuriz pointed to different signs of hope for Chile, including the canonization this coming October of Father Alberto Hurtado, who was profoundly committed to serving the people of Chile, “especially the poor and the abandoned.” 

In addition, he pointed to the new Constitution, which has been signed by President Ricardo Lagos and has brought consensus to the nation, new government programs and legislative measures, and the preparations for the bicentennial celebrations of Chile in 2010.  This event, he said, is bringing Chileans together across the country in meaningful dialogue and discussion. 

“For this reason, as we dream of the future of Chile, I invite you to give thanks for the friendship of God, who is the first origin of all that is good, as well as of the great spiritual treasures that He entrusts to us for building up the nation,” the cardinal stated.

The country’s top leaders were present at the ceremony, including President Ricardo Lagos and his wife, as well as the heads of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the country’s chief justice.