Angst over pope’s visit to Chilean region
Pontiff to hear concerns of indigenous Mapuches
TEMUCO, Chile — When Pope Francis visits the de facto capital of Chile’s Mapuche people, he will be inserting himself into one of Latin America’s longest-running conflicts involving indigenous populations, and one that periodically erupts in violence.
Leaders of both the Mapuches and the Chilean government have said in recent weeks they hope Francis can facilitate dialogue on disputes dating to the late 19th century, when the Mapuches, known for their ferocity resisting Spanish and other European settlers, were definitively defeated by the Chilean military.
At stake are many thorny issues: ownership of ancestral lands in the southern Araucania region, legal recognition of the Mapuches’ language and culture, and discrimination that their leaders say permeates all facets of life.
“In practical terms, we as a people don’t exist. It’s shameful,” said Hugo Alcaman, president of ENAMA, a Mapuche group that encourages local businesses and advocates social change. “We need negotiations. We hope that the pope plants the seeds for it to happen.”
How far the pope goes in any statement supporting the Mapuches will be closely watched, and even fretted over. Francis, a native of neighboring Argentina and the first pope from Latin America, has shown strong support for indigenous peoples during visits in other countries. In Bolivia in 2015, he went so far as to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s “grave sins” committed against indigenous communities during the colonial era.
His visit to Temuco on Wednesday takes him to a region of high volatility. While the vast majority of Chile’s estimated 1 million citizens of Mapuche descent oppose using violence, a small number use it to push their agenda.
In recent years scores of churches have been among the targets — including three firebombed Friday in the nation’s capital, Santiago. Like in previous incidents in Araucania, pamphlets extolling the Mapuche cause were found at the scene.
“There is both hope and worry about the pope’s visit,” said Emilio Taladriz, director of Multigremial de la Araucania, a conglomerate of unions across several industries. “The area is still one of conflict.”