Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday, March 24, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, patroness of Chile, which will be offered as a gift to the Chilean people by Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone during his visit in early April, during the Bicentennial Celebrations of the nation. These were the words spoken by the Holy Father: "I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims, especially Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa and the President of the Bishops' Conference of Chile, Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelić, the delegation that has come to receive an image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, which I will bless as a sign of affection for the people of this country, which celebrates its bicentennial anniversary, and that will accompany them during these difficult moments immediately after the recent earthquake." The image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will travel on pilgrimage to all the dioceses of Chile, together with the original copy of the "Gospel of Chile," the New Testament handwritten by Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, as well as by the Jewish community (see Fides 5/10/2009). The Marian pilgrimage, planned on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the nation and within the Continental Mission, will first visit the communities affected by the earthquake on February 27, thus changing the route originally planned. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 25/03/2010)
