Santiago, Chile, Apr 8, 2010 / 11:39 am
On Wednesday, the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, extended an official invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit the South American country. According to Chilean media, the papal trip would occur in 2012.
In a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on Wednesday, the Chilean president formally invited Pope Benedict to the country, which has been rebuilding since it was rattled by an 8.8 earthquake in February.
“We have invited the Holy Father through the Vatican Secretary of State - when God wills and he can - to visit our country,” the president said.
He then thanked Cardinal Bertone for the Pope’s concern over Chile’s reconstruction, which the two discussed, especially the need to make the country “spiritually stronger,” reinforcing Christian values. For his part, Cardinal Bertone said, “I told the president that the Holy Father is pleased by the courageous acts of unity that all sectors of Chilean society have made in order to overcome the grave consequences of the earthquake.”