At the exit of the Evangelical Te Deum this Saturday, the government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo (PC) assured that the ceremony was “a moment of encounter (…). A general call to society to get off the horse, or in good Chilean ‘get off the pony’, and meet with others and talk, I think that is required at this time”.
“Welcome and welcome to the house of God,” is how Bishop Javier Espinoza, secretary of the National Council of Bishops and Evangelical Pastors of Chile, began the ceremony.
It was a rite of thanksgiving, to which President Gabriel Boric arrived this morning and which was celebrated in the Evangelical Cathedral of Puente Alto. Instance in which in 2017 the former President Michelle Bachelet faced shouting from her assistants for her position on abortion and equal marriage, but that this year was lived normally.
The evangelical bishops addressed the authorities highlighting the need for a meeting and the high level of violence in the streets. Boric and his partner, Irina Karamanos, were in the front row. Behind them sat the ministers. And throughout the ceremony, in the front row and on stage, he was the Lutheran chaplain of La Moneda, Izani Bruch.
The words of the Minister of the General Secretariat of Government, Segegob, Vallejo, come in the middle of the pause that Chile Vamos -UDI, Renovación Nacional (RN) and Evópoli- gave last Tuesday to the talks that are taking place between the parties with parliamentary representation to agree on a design that will draw up a new Constitution. Event caused, as explained by the heads of the center-right parties, by the words of government ministers, such as Vallejo and Carolina Tohá, from the Interior, who interpreted it as a “paute” in the talks to hurry up the agreements on a new Charter great.
Specifically, Chile Vamos sent a letter to the head of the Upper House, Álvaro Elizalde (PS), asking to reschedule the meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday at 9 am for Friday, September 23 next week; that the composition of the instance be reconsidered, that is, that there be a proportionality of attendees according to the representation that each party has in Parliament, and that representatives of the Executive no longer attend the dialogue instance.
In addition, the suspension of talks, they explained internally, was motivated to reach common guidelines between the communities of the center-right, which for now are directing their proposal to set margins for the discussion before a new Constitution begins to be drafted, such as a unitary country, in order to avoid the concept of plurinationality; that the autonomy of the Central Bank be consigned; two symmetrical chambers for the political system, among other limits.
The president of the Senate, Álvaro Elizalde (PS), assured after the end of the rite that the date on which the third meeting will be convened with all the political forces to continue with the constituent process will be announced around the national holidays. “The important thing it is to generate a climate that allows us to move towards a good agreement for Chile”, he assured.
“Humility was lacking in the past, humility is lacking now, I think we have to recover the ability to listen to each other. Because if we are going to have a Constitution that represents us all, by the way we have to act with generosity and a sense of responsibility of the country, and this is a call for all of us”, added the senator.
overcome conflicts
The mayor of Puente Alto, Germán Codina (RN) was also present at the ceremony, and when he left he assured that he rescued from the messages the call to “get down from the vanities, from the egos, from the ideological arrogance”.
“And look at who is at the forefront, not as an adversary, but rather walk together to build a united country, but also where we also respect and understand diversity. And in this way we can also build a fraternal country, overcome inequalities, abuses”, summarized the mayor as his conclusions.
Bishop’s words President of the Methodist Pentecostal Church of Chile, Edmundo Zenteno, went in this direction when he said that “The solution is for people to understand each other” and highlighted the country’s unity around the flag, territory, history, different creeds: “Chile is one.”
“Reconciliation is overcoming conflicts, overcoming differences constructively. Reconciliation does not mean annihilating the other, it means coming to an understanding with the other. But for that each party has to get off, ”he assured.
“What is required here is that we come to an agreement. Let each of us get off his horse and cross over and shake hands with the other rider, who will also have to get off his horse. To understand and see things differently. Not so tall, but with his feet on the ground”.
“We have so much to gain, we have so much to add, so much to add, that we cannot miss this opportunity to meet God and meet each other,” Bishop Zenteno concluded.
