It is expected that Mapuche leaders, farmers and academics, such as the National History Prizewinner, Jorge Pinto, will attend this "first Mapuche dialogue committee" in the second term of President Michelle Bachelet. The possibility of inviting members of the forest guard and leaders of the more radical Mapuche movement has not been ruled out.
The Church's concern for the situation of the Mapuche was always a priority. In December 2015 Bishop Vargas told Fides: "There is a complex situation in Araucania. On the one hand there is a historical debt with the Mapuche people. On the other, acts of violence are increasing and spreading, with all the problems that entails. In the Diocese of Temuco alone, the pastoral activities reach a thousand Mapuche communities. This work also enhances the dignity, culture and the rights of the Mapuche people. "
In Chile, since the 90s the so-called "Mapuche conflict" has pitted the largest and most important ethnic group of the country against the farmers and entrepreneurs over the ownership of the land which the Mapuches regard as their ancestral heritage. "In recent weeks there have been several incidents of violent clashes between indigenous Mapuche people and members of some of the local farming communities.
The Under-Secretariat of the Interior has asked Bishop Vargas to participate and to contact representatives of the Mapuche. "It is an initiative created by the government and should be publicly announced very soon," said the prelate.
Source: Fides News Agency
