Imagine a country that is peaceful, confident, and secure. Imagine an event attended by all the political elite of a country—congressmen, supreme court judges, generals from all the military services, and the president herself. Then, imagine that this event has less security at the door than a Houston Astros baseball game. Imagine that I, a foreigner, could simply walk up with a paper invitation, enter without going through a metal detector, pat-down, or bag check, sit on the second row, and as the not-so-popular president walks within three feet of me, reach into my pocket to pull out a camera and shoot this picture.
Today I attended the Te Deum Ecumenico, an ecumenical church service held annually on this, the Independence Day for Chile. I received an invitation last week at an Ecumenical Luncheon, and I wasn’t sure what it was. But then Claudio from FASIC told me I should go, and our Chilean friends were shocked that I had an invite. So, of course I had to go. The service was held in the huge, ancient Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas close to our apartment. I was seated with other guests—church people, school directors, etc—on the second row on benches that faced the center, where a red carpet led to the altar. Dignitaries filed in, important-looking people in fine suites, and religious garb, smiling and getting their pictures taken. It made me wish I had a friend next to me to explain to me who everyone was. The military leaders were the most impressive, their old Prussian-style uniforms bearing gleaming medallions, insignia and with sabers at their sides. Then, of course, there was the president, Michelle Bachelet, who rode to the ceremony in an open convertible that passed slowly through the streets of Santiago. When she entered, she received a standing ovation.
The ceremony itself was so beautiful. The music, a mix of earthy, indigenous sounds and European high church, was dramatic and moving. Prayers and words were shared Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders (with the Catholics of course getting the most airtime). There was also a prayer by Muslim and Jewish leaders. The theme of the prayers and sermons was on the importance of unity, brotherhood, and progress for the country. It’s just the kind of thing you would hear in any country at such a service. But considering this is a country, and a church community, that was divided by the “us and them” ethic of a dictator not so long ago—these words have profound meaning. My favorite part of the ceremony was when about twelve pairs of people brought forward flowers for the altar. Each group represented a different group of Chileans, from the urban modern folks, to farm workers, to several different groups of indigenous people. It was really moving.
The whole ceremony was shown on live TV. And though there were cameras circling the whole time, the only time that Amy and the kids saw me on the TV set was after the ceremony when the press were interviewing politicians out front of the cathedral, and I was walking around trying to see who these famous guys were.
