Chile's Congress Celebrates its Bicentennial with a Te Deum

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

Festivities for Chile's Bicentennial continued into 2011.  The year 1810 was independence from Spain, but July 4, 1811 marked the beginning of its first Congress.  Celebrations were held on July 3, 2011 in Santiago, the capitol, and commemorative events were held in Valparaiso on the 4th, new home to the Congress.  Sunday evening, July 3, Chile's political leaders, old and young, gathered at the Metropolitan Cathedral for an ecumenical Te Deum, a thanksgiving.  Most Rev. Cristian Contreras, auxiliary bishop of Santiago, presided, as Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati was in Rome.  Leaders of other Christian churches, Orthodox and Protestant, also participated in the liturgy alongside Bishop Contreras.

Attending the event, among others, was President Sebastian Pinera, former President Patricio Aylwin, Senator Juan Pablo Letelier (son of Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier who was killed in a car bomb in Washington in 1976), Diputado Patricio Melero, and other parliamentary leaders.

A particular privilege for me was to exchange words with one of Chile's former Presidents, Patricio Aylwin.  President Aylwin provided key leadership during the transition to democracy, replacing General Agosto Pinochet.  President Aylwin also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 1992, when I finished my undergraduate studies at Notre Dame.

Ex-Chilean President Patricio Aylwin

Clergy at Te Deum

Sen. Juan Pablo Letelier