Mapuche: Beatification Serves its People
A Mapuche chief’s son was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in
Below is an article published by Reuters:
The teenage son of a Mapuche Indian chief came a step closer to becoming Argentina's first indigenous saint on Sunday [11 November 2007] when he was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in his remote Patagonian homeland.
Local media said about 100,000 people flocked to the small town of
The
Namuncura has been well known among Argentine Catholics for years but Pope Benedict announced his beatification in July [2007] after the
Bertone, who is secretary of state and ranks second to the Pope in the
"Ceferino never forgot he was a Mapuche. Really, his ideal was to serve his people," Bertone said on a windy field packed with followers, many dressed in traditional Indian ponchos and waving flags.
For the Church to beatify people, the