Czech President Vaclav Klaus at Palacio Consistorial

On Friday, I received an unexpected invitation.  In a nicely embossed envelop with the coat of arms for the City of Santiago, I found an invitation to the "Palacio Consistorial" to welcome the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus.  Well, who would I be to decline such an invitation?

I did check on President Klaus.  He graduated with a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell.  He is "Eurosceptico," they say, meaning he does not favor the European Union.  He believes the climate change is a myth.  World travels not withstanding, he may also believe that the world is flat (but not in a Thomas Friedman sense).

So, as I arrived at "City Hall," the Carabineros had installed barricades around the entrance to the building.  Showing my invitation, I was whisked forward.  Once inside, I was directed to the council chambers on the second floor.  I was one of the first to arrive.  I chatted for a while with the French Ambassador to Chile and a Swedish envoy.  I met a member of the Santiago City Council, Dr. Pedro Garcia Aspillaga, who formerly was the minister of health in President Lagos' administration.  I met the Mexican Ambassador, Mario Leal Campos.

Arriving in a timely fashion meant that I was in the front row on the aisle, next to the area reserved for the Diplomatic Corps.  President Klaus arrived fashionably late.  He and Mayor Pablo Zalaquett Said entered the room.  All stood.  They took their places.  A master of ceremonies asked us all to rise for the Chilean National Anthem, then the playing of the Czech National Anthem.

In the photo, then, President Klaus is to the left, and Mayor Zalaquett is to the right, below a painting of Pedro de Valdivia, who founded Santiago.

Mayor Zalaquett gave the Key to the City to President Klaus, who then addressed the audience briefly in Czech.  Headsets were available for translation of all remarks, as well as a live translation to Spanish, when President Klaus paused.

After this concluded, we went to the patio, where a folklore group performed traditional Chilean music and dance.

Of course, when I try to explain how I got an invitation, the only thing that I can conclude is that they must have known that I was once pastor of St. Adalbert Parish in South Bend, IN.  St. Adalbert, prior to his martyrdom in Poland, was bishop of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.