Rome, Italy, Oct 4, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Chilean ambassador Ignacio Walker will unveil a statue of the first saint from Chile, St. Teresa of the Andes, at the Vatican this Wednesday.
The ambassador from Santiago to the Holy See confirmed that Pope John Paul II will bless the statue of the young Carmelite, which was hewed from marble by Chilean sculptor Juan Eduardo Fernandez Cox.
The block of marble was extracted from the “Michaelangelo Cavern,” where Buonarotti obtained the marble for “The Pietá,” as well as for three other statutes that decorate the left side of the colonnade, facing the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The ambassador and his delegation will attend the ceremony at which the Pope will preside and will bless the statue, and later they will have an audience with the Holy Father on Thursday.