Peace Committee ordered to close

Cardinal Raul Silva, Archbishop of Santiago, has been ordered by General Pinochet, President of Chile, to close the Peace Committee.
In a formal but forceful letter dated November II the General said the Committee "has become an instroornent through which Marxist elements are trying to create problems in the country which will upset the peace and public order which the Government is trying to maintain." He advised the Cardinal to close the Committee.
In his reply to the Presidnt, Cardinal Silva agreed reluctantly to the closure of the Peace Committee but only as long as the Church is allowed to continue to carry out its works of mercy and help to the poor. The Cardinal said that he utterly rejected the President's allegation that the committee was merely a Marxist front organisation and said that its work "is fired by worthy and genuine motives and has borne fruit in many ways." He warned the President that closure of the committee may have grave results both inside and outside Chile. He ended the letter, "I hope that the civil arm of the Government will assume responsibility for the work which the Peace Committee has been doing and this will encourage peace and social justice in the country and a favourable image for Chile in the outside world."
General Pinochet is known to be particularly sensitive to Chile's image as his Government has been trying and failing to give the impression of stability to attract capital investment in Chile.
The President also takes pride in the "Catholic Principles" of the Government, and has therefore been anxious for some time to suppress the Peace Committee which has recently become the only voice speaking up for human rights in the country.
At least six members of the committee have been arrested in the last two weeks and this has almost provoked a confrontation between Church and State in Chile.
The Peace Committee was formed in 1973 soon after the coup which overthrew the elected Government of Salvador Allende.
The Cardinal is one of its sponsors and one of its two' chairmen is Bishop Ariztia, Auxiliary of Santiago.
The original purpose of the committee was to help some of the tens of thousands of refugees and their families who were trying to escape arrest by the military authorities. It provided legal aid for many of the political prisoners hut more recently it has been providing employment schemes and even soup kitchens in some of the areas worst hit by Chile's economic crisis.
According to one report the Government has also ordered the closure of these on the
grounds that they are bringing the Church too close to the poor.
Other moves against the committee made recently by the Government include the imprisonment of Fr Fernando Salas Si, a former secretary of the movement, and Fr Patricio Cariola SJ, a member of the executive.
Fr Cariola was working on education projects for which he had received a f1.000 grant from CAFOD.
Robin 1-food of CAFOD said that Fr Cariola was not a political figure in any respect.
Bishop Frenz, a Lutheran Bishop and the other chairman of the Peace Committee, has been refused permission to reenter Chile after he visited Geneva.
According to reports from Washington, several American priests and nuns have been expelled from Chile because they helped people wanted by the police. Cardinal Silva has strongly defended their action on the grounds that it is a Christian duty and is non-political.