Santiago, Chile, Jan 10, 2007 / 11:22 am
Despite accusations of corruption that have rocked political life in Chile and several disagreements between the government and the Church over issues related to values, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile emphasized that the bishops value the vocation to public service and political life.
On Monday, political leaders met with Conference president Bishop Alejandro Goic for more than hour. “Rather than focusing on a few flashpoints of corruption, we must recognize that in Chile there is a healthy political class, and therefore the Church reiterates her respect and appreciation for public servants and the work of politicians at every level,” Bishop Goic said.
However, the bishop emphasized the “need for well-prepared politicians, sound politicians, politicians who dedicate their lives in service to Chile,” and he noted that despite the problems, “our country has a political class that is mostly sound, and that needs to be taken care of.”
Bishop Goic gave the political leaders who attended the meeting a copy of the bishops’ document, “Towards the Bicentennial,” in which the Church invites Chileans to reflect on the kind of country they want to have as they celebrate 200 years since its founding. He also gave them a copy of Pope Benedict’s 2007 “State of the World” address.