An unprecedented situation at the Vatican today - and one that is not likely to happen again, at least not in the foreseeable future - when two South American Presidents, both women, came to visit the Pope on a very special anniversary.
Pope receives Lat-Am Presidents
on the 25th anniversary of
the Argentina-Chile peace treaty
Translated from
With President Fernandez of Argentina
With President Bachelet of Chile
This morning, at the Apostolic Palace, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of peace and Friendship between Chile and Argentina, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in separate audiences the President of Argentina, H.E. Madame Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and the president of teh Republic of Chile, H.E. Madame Michelle Bachelet Jeria.
The distinguished guests also met afterwards with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, accompanied by Mons. Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
Afterwards, the Holy Father addressed the two Presidents and their delegations at the Sala Clementina.
During the conversations, the work of mediation carried out by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II and the late Cardinal Antonio Samore - who helped the two nations to settle a long-standing territorial controversy through dialog - was remembered with gratitude.
In particular, they dwelt on the fact that during the past quarter century, the agreement has brought concrete results in prosperity to the two fraternal populations, and continues to be an example and a model for the nations of Latin America and the entire international community.
The present international situation was also discussed.
Pope lauds 1984 peace agreement
between Argentina and Chile
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 28 (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI hailed a 1984 Vatican-mediated friendship agreement between Argentina and Chile as a "luminous example" of peace winning out over war during an audience Saturday with the presidents of both countries.
In 1978, when both nations were ruled by military dictators, Chile and Argentina nearly went to war over three tiny islands in the Beagle Channel off Chile's southern Pacific shores. The dispute was solved by mediation by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
Benedict marked the 25th anniversary of the treaty during a Vatican audience Saturday with Presidents Cristina Fernandez of Argentina and Michelle Bachelet of Chile.
The Pope met with each President separately, then delivered his speech to their joint delegations in the Vatican's Clementine Hall.
Benedict called the agreement a "luminous example of the strength of the human spirit and the desire for peace over the barbarity and uselessness of violence and war."
Quoting the World War II era pontiff Pope Pius XII he said: "Nothing is lost with peace; everything can be lost with war."
But he said that for peace to be consolidated, there needs to be a fight against poverty and corruption, guaranteed access to education, economic growth and the eradication of violence and exploitation of women and children.
Dressed in black, the two presidents also prayed before John Paul's tomb in the grottos underneath St. Peter's Basilica and visited the Vatican hall where the peace agreements were signed Nov. 29, 1984.
Upon arriving in Rome, the Argentine chancellor Jorge Taiana said the audience would be "a historic round of much joy and renewed alliance as we stop and think about how far we've come in the last 25 years."
John Paul intervened in the dispute in 1979, a year after he was elected Pope, and the treaty signing some five years later marked his first concrete diplomatic achievement.
The Beagle negotiations marked the first papal mediation of a territorial dispute since Pope Leo XXIII stepped into a Spanish-German controversy over the Caroline Islands in the Pacific in 1885.
Here is a translation of the Holy Father's address, delivered in Spanish:
Mesdames Presidents of Argentina and Chile,
Eminent Cardinals,
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
Messieurs Ambassadors,
Friends:
1. With great pleasure I welcome you to the See of Peter, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship which settled a long-standing territorial dispute between your countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
Indeed, it is a timely and happy commemoration of those intense negotiations which, with Pontifical mediation, concluded in a worthy, reasonable and equitable solution, thus avoiding armed conflict which would have broken out between two brother nations.
2. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the mediation that made it possible, is indissolubly linked to the beloved figure of Pope John Paul II, who, moved by feelings of affection for two beloved nations and in tune with his tireless work as messenger and maker of peace, did not hesitate to accept the delicate and crucial task of being a mediator in a contentious issue.
With the invaluable help of Cardinal Antonio Samore, he himself personally followed all the developments in those lengthy and complex negotiations, until a proposal was defined that led to the signing of the treaty, in the presence of delegations from both nations and Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who was at the time the Secretary of State to His Holiness as well as Prefect of the Council for the Church's Public Affairs.
The pontifical intervention was also a response to the express petition of the Episcopates of Chile and Argentina, who, in communion with the Holy See, offered their decisive collaboration in order to achieve the said agreement.
We must also thank the efforts of all those who, in the governments and diplomatic delegations of both nations, gave their positive contribution to proceed along the path of peaceful resolution, thus fulfilling the profound desires for peace of the Argentine and Chilean peoples.
3. At a distance of 25 years, we can observe with satisfaction how that historic event has contributed beneficially to reinforce sentiments of fraternity between both nations, along with a more determined cooperation and integration, concretized in numerous economic projects, cultural exchanges, and important works of infrastructure, thus overcoming prejudices, suspicions and reservations held in the past.
Indeed, Chile and Argentina are not just two neighboring countries but so much more: they are two brother nations with a common vocation of fraternity, respect and friendship, in large measure the result of the Catholic tradition which is the basis of their history and rich cultural and spiritual patrimony.
The event we commemorate today is now part of the great history of two noble nations, and also of all Latin America. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship is a luminous example of the power of the human spirit and the desire for peace in the face of barbarism and the irrationality of violence and war as a means to resolve differences.
Once more, one must bear in mind the words that my predecessor, Pope Pius XII, pronounced at a particularly difficult time in history: "Nothing is lost with peace. Everything can be lost with war" (Radio message, August 24, 1939).
That is why it is necessary to persevere at all times with a firm will and until the last consequences in trying to resolve controversies with a genuine desire for dialog and agreement, through patient negotiations and necessary compromises, and always taking into account the just demands and legitimate interests of all concerned.
4. In order that the cause of peace takes root in the mind and heart of all men, and especially, of those who are called on to serve their citizens, starting with the highest magistrates of the land, this must be based on firm moral convictions, on calm spirits, which are sometimes tense and polarized, and on the constant search for the common good at the national, regional and global levels.
Achievement of peace requires the promotion of an authentic culture of life, which fully respects the dignity of the human being, along with strengthening the family as the basic cell of society.
It also demands fighting poverty and corruption, access to quality education for all, economic growth in fraternal solidarity, the consolidation of democracy, and the eradication of violence and exploitation, especially against women and children.
5. The Catholic Church, which continues on earth the mission of Christ, whose death on the Cross brought peace to the world (cf. Eph 2,14-17), will not cease to proclaim to everyone his message of salvation and reconciliation, and, uniting its efforts with those of all men of good will, commits herself eagerly to achieve the aspirations of all men for peace and concord.
Most excellent Mesdames Presidents, dear friends, in thanking you once more for your significant visit, I direct my gaze towards Christ of the Andes, on a peak of that mountain range, and ask him that, as a constant gift of his grace, he may seal for always the peace and friendship between Argentines and Chileans, while, as a token of my affection, I impart on you a special Apostolic Blessing.
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[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 29/11/2009 00:40]