Pinochet: `Let justice be done'

BY LUKE COPPEN
CHURCH OFFICIALS in Chile have reacted cautiously to the arrest of the former dictator General Augusto Pinochet in London last Friday.
Pinochet, a devout Catholic. was detained at the London Clinic on Friday night by police following a request from Spanish judges investigating the death of hundreds of Spaniards under his dictatorship.
The Archbishop of Santiago, Francisco Javier Erraziniz, said that he had prayed a lot" for the 82-year-old General and his family since the arrest. He expressed concern about Pinochet's physical frailty but made a guarded attack on the amnesty under which Pinochet has escaped prosecution.
He said the arrest would take its toll on the General, whose 17-year reign of terror left more than 3,000 Chileans dead or "disappeared".
Archbishop Errazu.riz would not comment directly on the charges against Pinochet made by two Spanish judges who are seeking his extradition to Madrid.
He said "What one always desires is that in any country there is a system of justice that is open and above board, so that when grave offences are perpetrated they can be judged in the same country they were committed."
The Archbishop is keen to maintain neutrality in view of aggressive pro-Pinochet protests against the Spanish and British embassies in Chile. `There are many things from a judicial or diplomatic point of view that are complicated and need to be clarified," he said.
It is believed that General Pinochet may have contacted a Catholic priest since his arrest. Fr Michael Cullen, a priest at St James's, Spanish Place, is called by the London Clinic when patients wish to see a priest. When asked if he had been to visit Pinochet, he told The Herald: "I have been thinking about whether I would answer that question and I have decided not to, but I personally do visit the London Clinic when asked."
Chile's diplomatic relations with Britain and Spain have deteriorated dramatically as a result of the arrest.
The Chilean government claims that Pinochet, who travelled to England on a diplomatic passport, has immunity from arrest. The British and Spanish governments say there is no immunity for mass murder.
Chilean Church groups who approve of the arrest say they are afraid to demonstrate because of intimidation by Pinochet's supporters.
A spokesman for CAFOD in Chile said: "Sadly, those people who applaud the detention of Pinochet haven't been able to make public their support. perhaps for fear of what might happen to them as usual they feel threatened."
He said that ordinary Chileans felt "a great sense of gratitude towards the British people" for the General's arrest and said he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by the protests against the embassies.
"Clearly we have two distinct countries with different feelings and interests existing side by side."
Fr Sergio Torres, a Catholic priest working on the outskirts of Santiago, said that the arrest was a matter of justice. not diplomatic immunity.
He said: "It is a question of legal justice. It is not a state problem as some people are saying here in Chile.
"General Pinochet was the president, so he cannot say he was not aware of what was going on. There are many people who disappeared, more than 1,000.
"He has to face the accusations before a judge in Spain and he has to defend himself. The families of the disappeared are still looking for their relatives. It is very important for them to know where they are.
"We hope to really know what happened and to have justice."
The disappeared include Church workers and priests, such as Fr Miguel Woodward, who was kidnapped on September 22, 1973. General Pinochet was often criticised for human rights abuses by the outspoken then Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago, Raul Silva.
"The majority of bishops and priests opposed Pinochet as a dictator," said Fr Torres. "But there was a minority of Catholics—especially those on the right—who supported him.
"Pinochet considers himself a Catholic. But that is not the case."