CNA Staff, Oct 20, 2020 / 17:00 pm
The pastor of a parish destroyed by arson in Santiago, Chile on Sunday has urged local Catholics to reject temptations toward revenge, and to place their hope in unity with Jesus Christ.
Fr. Pedro Narbona, pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Santiago, Chile, which was destroyed by arsonists Oct. 18 called on people to open their hearts "without hatred and without revenge" and to "deeply reflect on the Chile that we want to build."
"Death and pain don't have the last word, rather hope and life always have the last word. The one who triumphs is always Our Lord and we are upheld by him and united with him," Narbona told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language news partner.
The priest said he was especially concerned because "with so much destruction, so much hatred and revenge" those most affected are the poor. "And in this case, a specific community that has seen the historic place where they meet and worship vandalized twice, three times."