On Saturday, a Mass was celebrated in suffrage in the shrine of "National Gratitude" in Santiago de Chile; the final seat of the bishop's remains shall be the crypt of the bishops of the Cathedral of Punta Arenas.
The Salesian was pastor of the Church of Punta Arenas for 32 years, from 1974 to 2006. He was ordained bishop by Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez, also a Salesian, to whom a deep friendship bound him.
Of his prolific episcopal service, his special sensitivity, and his work for Human Rights and the reality of migrants, refugees and exiles stand out. The importance of his work in the social and pastoral fields earned him many awards and recognitions, such as:
- The Bicentennial Medal awarded by the Senate of the Republic, in 2011, for his efforts in fostering respect for Human Rights.
- The 2009 tribute for his contribution to the peace efforts in the 1978 conflict between Chile and Argentina.
- The "John XXIII" Peace Prize awarded by the Diocese of Punta Arenas in 2008.
- The 2007 "Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez" award for his dedication to the ideals contained in the Declaration of Principles of the Catholic University "Silva Henríquez".
Born in Santiago on 20 April 1935, son of Osvaldo González Araya and Marta Morales Bascuñán, the late bishop entered the Salesian Congregation in 1951, made his first vows on 31 January 1952, and was ordained a priest in Turin on 11 February 1963 by Cardinal Maurilio Fossati.
In 2013, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his priesthood, he commented: “I feel very close to Christ, who invited me to fish, to cast the nets out to sea, especially today, which is what is always needed. Undoubtedly, a sign of this invitation from the Lord is that I was appointed bishop at a very young age, at 37, which allowed me to be pastor of a diocese for a long time.”
Before being appointed bishop by Pope Paul VI, for the Chilean Province he held the positions of Director of the Seminary of Lo Cañas, Novice Master, Professor at the Catholic University of Chile, and Provincial Vicar, and he had also been Episcopal Vicar for the female Religious in the diocese of Santiago.
He took possession of the diocese of Punta Arenas in 1974, succeeding Msgr. Vladimiro Boric, who had died the previous year. He participated in the ad limina visits of the prelates of Chile in 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 2002. He celebrated the 1st Synod of Punta Arenas in 1979; he participated in the III General Conference of the Latin American Bishops, held in Puebla, in 1979, and in the 1983 Synod of Bishops in Rome. He has also held various positions in the Episcopal Conference of Chile.
Since 2006 and for several years, despite some physical problems, he maintained an intense pastoral support service to the parish communities of Renca and Conchalí, as well as conferences, speeches and talks to which he offered the contribution as a pastor and by virtue of his experience of Doctor of Moral Theology.
In 2015, on the occasion of the celebration of his 80th birthday, Msgr. González Morales stated: “The Lord has been very generous to me. He has made me live moments, I would say, of resurrection, because I have always, from a very young age, found myself in difficult situations in my life as a Salesian religious, as a bishop, in my work, for example, with exiled brothers ... ".
“I experienced the resurrection of the Lord directly in the desire for hope of many people ...”
“I have always found the closeness to Cardinal Silva and his spirituality very useful, to feel the risen Lord so close to me that I can make Him part of my life.”
The Salesian Family of Chile prays for his eternal rest.
