In Santiago, in a vast park during the beatification of Teresa de los Andes the opposition set fuses on fire and the police responded with tear gas. Smoke reached the altar itself. The Pope was not afraid, but by the end of the Mass he feared for the fate of the faithful, worried that a terrible accident could occur.
Journalists devoted a lot of time to this wicked event, but very little to the joyous meeting between John Paul II and the young in the national stadium. “El amor es más fuerte ("Love is stronger") – he shouted. And, when asked if they were willing to renounce the "idols" of the world, the youth screamed thunderously and replied: “Yeeees!". And, this was probably the beginning of a new charter of Chilean history.
At the time, no one was saying that the Holy Father had been "forced" to appear on the balcony of the presidential palace. In a private conversation, he suggested to Pinochet that the time had come to hand over the rule to the civilian authorities. A few hours later, he spoke to party leaders who were still illegal at the time.
With the consent of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz - "Testimony". TBA marketing communication Publishing House. Warsaw 2007
