Editing Pope John Paul II (section)

=== Chile ===
Before John Paul II's pilgrimage to Latin America, during a meeting with reporters, he criticised [[Augusto Pinochet]]'s regime as "dictatorial". In the words of ''[[The New York Times]]'', he used "unusually strong language" to criticise Pinochet and asserted to journalists that the [[Catholic Church in Chile]] must not only pray, but actively fight for the restoration of democracy in Chile.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/01/world/pope-on-latin-trip-attacks-pinochet-regime.html?pagewanted=1 Pope, on Latin Trip, Attacks Pinochet Regime] ''The New York Times'', 1 April 1987</ref>

During his visit to Chile in 1987, John Paul II asked Chile's 31 Catholic bishops to campaign for free elections in the country. According to [[George Weigel]] and Cardinal [[Stanisław Dziwisz]], he encouraged Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and may even have called for his resignation.<ref>{{cite book|author=George Weigel |title=Biografía de Juan Pablo II—Testigo de Esperanza |language=es |trans-title=Biography of John Paul II—Witness to Hope |publisher=Editorial Plaza & Janés |year=2003 |isbn=978-84-01-01304-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/biografadejuanpa00geor |author-link=George Weigel }}; {{cite book|author=Heraldo Muñoz |title=The Dictator's Shadow: Life under Augusto Pinochet |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 183] |publisher=Basic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-465-00250-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 |author-link=Heraldo Muñoz }}</ref> According to Monsignor [[Sławomir Oder]], the [[postulator]] of John Paul II's [[beatification]] cause, John Paul's words to Pinochet had a profound impact on the Chilean dictator. The pope confided to a friend: "I received a letter from Pinochet in which he told me that as a Catholic he had listened to my words, he had accepted them, and he had decided to begin the process to change the leadership of his country."<ref>Slawomir Oder, ''Why He Is a Saint: The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonisation'', p. 107–108, Rizzoli International Publications (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-8478-3631-4}}</ref>

During his visit to Chile, John Paul II supported the [[Vicariate of Solidarity]], the church-led pro-democracy, anti-Pinochet organisation. John Paul II visited the Vicariate of Solidarity's offices, spoke with its workers, and "called upon them to continue their work, emphasizing that the Gospel consistently urges respect for human rights".<ref>Timmerman, Jacobo ''Chile: Death in the South'', p. 114, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-517-02902-2}}</ref> While in Chile, John Paul II made gestures of public support of Chile's anti-Pinochet democratic opposition. For instance, he hugged and kissed [[Carmen Gloria Quintana]], a young student who had been nearly burned to death by Chilean police and told her that "We must pray for peace and justice in Chile."<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/04/04/papal-mass-in-chile-erupts-in-violence/ Papal Mass In Chile Erupts In Violence] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', 4 April 1987</ref> Later, he met with several opposition groups, including those that had been declared illegal by Pinochet's government. The opposition praised John Paul II for denouncing Pinochet as a dictator, for many members of Chile's opposition were persecuted for much milder statements. Bishop [[Carlos Camus]], one of the harshest critics of Pinochet's dictatorship within the Chilean Church, praised John Paul II's stance during the papal visit, saying: "I am quite moved, because our pastor supports us totally. Never again will anyone be able to say that we are interfering in politics when we defend human dignity." He added: "No country the Pope has visited has remained the same after his departure. The Pope's visit is a mission, an extraordinary social catechism, and his stay here will be a watershed in Chilean history."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/03/world/pinochet-foes-cheered-by-the-pope-s-presence.html?src=pm Pionchet's Foes Cheered by the Pope's Presence] ''The New York Times'', 3 April 1987</ref>