CHILE: Church and State
My comment: The "patriotic festival" ended with a big military parade,
including a contingent of women. It still startles me to see Chilean
soldiers in German helmets goose-stepping. The talk was all about
reconciliation among Chileans, but one the people who love military
parades were presumably getting the message that the army was still there,
just in case. Meanwhile, at the various picnic grounds around the capital,
people were eating traditional food and drinking red wine just as they were
when the festival began.
Ronald Hilton - 9/28/00
Raśl Estrada-Oyuela reports: "President Lagos is not a believer, but he is
not anti-clerical either.The same kind of religious celebration was hold
last March as part of the inauguration ceremonies I attended invited by my
friend Ricardo Lagos.The Chilean Church is following the ecumenical trend
in a very active way.
The exercise includes all Christian denominations, Jews and Muslims."
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