CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2023 / 16:30 pm
The Catholic community of the Diocese of Temuco in Chile said no to violence following the March 13 fire that destroyed the Sacred Heart of Jesus chapel in the Amaza sector.
In a public statement signed by the diocesan administrator, Father Juan Andrés Basly Erices, the community expressed its grief over the arson attack that occurred in the early morning hours of March 13, destroying the chapel belonging to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the village of Selva Oscura.
“On this day, when His Holiness Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his pontificate, we echo the words of the message he delivered to us during his visit to these lands of La Araucanía, where he stated that ‘violence calls for violence, destruction increases division and separation. Violence ends up turning the most just cause into a liar.’ That is why we say ‘no to the violence that destroys,’” said the statement, quoting the pope.
The statement emphasized “the call for peace and unity,” acknowledging that the people and their communities “are suffering a lot” with pain and anguish due to the “violent and destructive acts.”