AVISIT to Easter Island by Mgr. Hartle, Vicar Apostolic at Araucania, Chile, has brought the tiny island and its inhabitants into the news again. The prelate, who was brought to the island by a ship of the Chilean navy on a once-yearly visit, was welcomed by many of the island's 600 Catholics.
There is hope that the isolated community will shortly be the site for an international airport which wilt bring it to the doorstep of the outside world. The parish of Easter Island is served by two Capuchin monks, one of whom has been there for over 25 years, and seven nuns, five of whom work in the Catholic school and two in the leper hospital. All of them live in very difficult conditions, due to the wet tropical climate. At present, this yearly visit is the only contact that the islanders have with the outside world, as the Chilean coast is 2,500 miles away.