The Chilean Museum of Remembrance and Human Rights (Main Forum)

by James, Australia, Sunday, July 29, 2012, 07:52 (299 days ago)

There is an impressive new museum in Santiago de Chile called the Museum of Remembrance and Human Rights. It has footage and photos of the coup that saw the death of the democratically elected President Allende and the start of a murderous dictatorship under General Agosto Pinochet, supported by Henry Kissinger and the United States Government. There are witnesses testimonies of the torture they endured and thousands of photos of the "disappeared". The electric shock machines are there too, modern versions of the same instruments depicted in the Inquisition museum in Cartagena.

One of the videos shown in the museum is of Pope John Paul at a Mass in Santiago, while Pinochet's soldiers have fire hoses on protesters.

In earlier posts, I mentioned the cosy relationship between the Argentinean hierarchy and the military dictatorship of General Videla. The relationship in Chile was not so cosy, at least with the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Silva Henriquez who was later given several awards by human rights organizations for his opposition to the regime and support for the families of the disappeared. But there were other bishops who were strong supporters of the regime, and so too was the Vatican envoy, Cardinal Sodano. The position is best explained in this article by Juan-José Tamayo-Acosta, a Spanish theologian.

http://www.remember-chile.org.uk/comment/vatican.htm

There is also mention in the museum of another priest, Fr. Cristian Precht who was also a very vocal opponent of the regime, and who worked with various groups to help the families of the disappeared and to demand the end of human rights abuses.

However, Fr. Precht has recently come into the Chilean news for a different reason.

The newspaper, La Tercera recently published an article referring to the allegations by a Chilean who now lives in Australia, Jorge Cantellano, who has put up a video on the internet outlining his allegations against the priest. He said that it occurred while he was a seminarian of 19 years of age.
http://www.latercera.com/noticia/nacional/2012/07/680-472451-9-denunciante-de-cristian-...

In 2012, the Archbishop of Santiago, started a canonical investigation, which decided that it did not have enough evidence in the truth of the allegations, although he did say that there was some evidence of abusive conduct. He then sent the matter off to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, as, no doubt, was required by Santorum Sanctitatis Tutela of 2001, although he had some doubts that the matter would be dealt with because the 20 year statute of limitations under Canon Law applied.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristi%C3%A1n_Precht

The museum is a very impressive and sad place. It is impossible not to be moved by it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Memory_and_Human_Rights

http://www.southamerica.me/museum-of-memory-and-human-rights/