Pope backs call to free Pinochet By Andrew Sparrow, and Bruce Johnston in Rome THE POPE has thrown the authority of the Roman Catholic Church behind the campaign to have Gen Augusto Pinochet returned to Chile. In a move that it is likely to enrage human rights campaigners, he has urged Britain to block the former dictator's extradition to Spain, where he faces charges of genocide, murder and torture. The Pope has appealed for leniency for humanitarian reasons and in the interests of national reconciliation in Chile. But he has also backed the argument that the general should be immune from prosecution as a former head of state. Although the Vatican's intervention was intended to be private, it was disclosed last night by Baroness Symons, a Foreign Office minister, in a parliamentary written answer to Lord Lamont, the former Chancellor. The Pope's decision to become involved will delight the Chilean government, which has been discreetly lobbying the Vatican for several months in the hope of persuading the Roman Catholic Church to take a formal position in favour of the general. [snip] The Pope has been keen to use his power to promote reconciliation in the region, and to undo what he sees as the divisive legacy of liberation theology. However his decision to speak up for a figure who has been widely condemned by human rights campaigners could also provoke a backlash, given the Pope's commitment to human rights. [end of excerpt]
Carl Remick