advertisement

The Latest: Peru indigenous ask pope to push for land rights

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - The Latest on Pope Francis' visit to Latin America (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Peru's indigenous leaders have sent a letter to Pope Francis urging him to press for the cleanup of polluted rivers and recognition of ancestral land rights during his visit to the Amazon.

Three umbrella organizations representing the Amazon's indigenous communities ask the pontiff to support their demands that Peru's government clean up wide swaths of land tainted by mercury from illegal gold mining.

The leaders also want Francis to back their call for the state to grant 20 million hectares (77,000 square miles) in collective land rights to indigenous groups. That's an area roughly equivalent to Nebraska or Senegal.

An estimated 4,000 people from indigenous groups from throughout South America will gather to hear the pontiff speak Friday in the Peruvian Amazon.

Many are hoping Francis can serve as a bridge between native peoples and the government.

___

1:20 p.m.

Authorities in Chile are investigating yet another burning of a Roman Catholic Church while Pope Francis is visiting the South American nation.

The burning in Panguipulli, 515 miles (830 kilometers) south of Santiago, brings to at least 11 the number of churches that have been torched in less than a week.

Police say the attacks have involved gas-drenched cloths thrown at churches followed by the spraying of accelerant.

Gen. Diego Olate says the attack happened early Wednesday. He told local media that a pamphlet was found at the scene but declined to provide more details.

News of the most recent attack came while Francis was celebrating Mass in Temuco, capital of the conflictive Araucania region.

The indigenous Mapuche are pushing for Chile to return ancestral lands and legally recognize their language. The vast majority reject violence, but a minority uses it to push the cause.

Over the last couple years, scores of churches have been burned. Often pamphlets celebrating the Mapuche cause are found at the scene. Such pamphlets have been found at a handful of the churches most recently burned.

___

1:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is treating a few members of Chile's Mapuche indigenous peoples to a fancy lunch, featuring octopus carpaccio, osso bucco and flan.

The Vatican released the menu of the luncheon Francis hosted after celebrating Mass in Aracaunia, the heart of the Mapuche land in southern Chile. Francis usually prefers simple meals, but the menu suggests he and his fellow hosts were going all out for their guests.

The small group breaking bread at a religious house in Temuco on Wednesday began with a mushroom ragout, followed by octopus carpaccio and crab claws. The meat course included osso bucco with saffron rice and vegetables, with flan for dessert.

The Vatican said the pope and eight Mapuche were joined by a woman the Vatican described as a "victim of rural violence" as well as a descendant of the German-Swiss colonizers who clashed for centuries with the Mapuche. Rounding out the guest list was the bishop of Temuco and a recent Haitian migrant to the region.

___

11:55 a.m.

Authorities in Chile are investigating the burning of three helicopters and a Roman Catholic Church just hours before Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the country's most conflictive region.

The attack happened in the city of Collipulli, where a school and an adjourning church that was no longer being used were both partially burned.

At least 10 churches have been firebombed in the last week, most in the Araucania region where the indigenous Mapuche are pushing for a return of ancestral lands and recognition of their language and culture.

Prosecutor Enrique Vasquez told local media that at the scene Wednesday that investigators found a sign and pamphlets demanding the release of Mapuche prisoners.

Meanwhile, two helicopters were completely torched and a third was partially burned in the city of Curanilahue. The city is part of a region that neighbors the Araucania region.

Authorities say the aircraft belonged to the forest company Arauco. Pro-Mapuche Pamphlets were also found at the scene.

During Wednesday's Mass in the Araucania capital of Temuco, Francis called for an end to the violence.

___

11:00 a.m.

Pope Francis is urging the indigenous Mapuche people to reject violence in pushing their cause.

Francis made the comments Wednesday while celebrating Mass in Temuco. The city is the capital of the Araucania region, where many of Chile's estimated 1 million people of Mapuche descent live.

The Mapuche have been pushing for a return of ancestral lands and recognition of their language and culture. A small minority has used violence to push its cause.

In recent years, scores of churches have been burned in the region. In just the last week, at least 10 churches in Chile have been firebombed. No arrests have been made.

Francis says that a culture of reconstruction can't be based in violence.

Francis says "you cannot assert yourself by destroying others because this only leads to more violence and destruction."

___

10:55 a.m.

Pope Francis is paying homage to Chileans who were tortured or killed at an air base where he is celebrating Mass.

Francis made the remarks during his homily at an outdoor Mass at the Maqueue aerodrome in Temuco.

Francis said the area is "the site of grave violations of human rights."

He said that the Mass was being offered for all those who have suffered or died.

Many years before the 1973-1990 military dictatorship, the land was taken from the indigenous Mapuche people. To this day, it's a point of conflict for many who argue the land should be returned.

___

10:05 a.m.

Pope Francis is preparing to celebrate Mass in an area that represents a centuries-old conflict with indigenous peoples and that was used as a torture facility during the country's bloody military dictatorship.

The Maquehue Air Base in Temuco was built on land taken from the indigenous Mapuche in the early 20th century.

It was also used as a detention center during the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Those two things make it a place steeped in painful history for both the Mapuche and families of victims of the dictatorship.

Thousands greeted Francis Wednesday as he rode in his popemobile on arrival in Temuco. It's the pope's second full day in the Andean nation of 17 million people. On Tuesday, Francis met with survivors of priest abuse and asked for forgiveness for the abuse.

Chilean Investigative Police, PDI, inspect a helicopter burned at the Arauco Forestry company in Caranilahue, Temuco, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Three helicopters were attacked by unidentified people who left behind pamphlets from the organization Coordinator Arauco Malleco, CAM, demanding autonomy for the indigenous Mapuche people, hours before Pope Francis celebrated a Mass in this city. (Manuel Araneda, Aton Chile via AP) The Associated Press
Shamans hold a photo of Pope Francis as they perform a welcome ritual for the pontiff one day before he arrives to Peru, in the water off Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) The Associated Press
Pope Francis arrives on pope-mobile to celebrate a Mass at the Maquehue Air Base, in Temuco, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Leaders of both the Mapuche and the Chilean government have expressed hope that Francis can facilitate dialogue. Their disputes date back to the late 19th century, when the Chilean military finally defeated the Mapuche, who had ferociously resisted Spanish and other European settlers for centuries. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) The Associated Press
People, some donning Argentina's national flag, walk to the venue at the Maquehue Air Base where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass , in Temuco, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Francis heads to the heart of Chile's centuries-old conflict with indigenous peoples to celebrate Mass at the air base which is on contested land that was also used as a detention and torture facility during the country's bloody military dictatorship. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo) The Associated Press
A banner welcoming Pope Francis is reflected in a woman's sunglasses as she waits for the pope's arrival at the Maquehue Air Base, in Temuco, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Francis heads to the heart of Chile's centuries-old conflict with indigenous peoples to celebrate Mass at the air base which is on contested land that was also used as a detention and torture facility during the country's bloody military dictatorship. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo) The Associated Press
Police set up crowd control barriers in preparation for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Maquehue Air Base, in Temuco, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Francis heads to the heart of Chile's centuries-old conflict with indigenous peoples to celebrate Mass at the air base which is on contested land that was also used as a detention and torture facility during the country's bloody military dictatorship. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo) The Associated Press
A vendor selling bread has her basket decorated with a Chile and Pope flag, as she stands along the route Pope Francis will use in Temuco, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo) The Associated Press
Shamans hold a photo of Pope Francis, as they perform a welcome ritual for the pontiff one day before he arrives to Peru, off Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.