Who says the left and the church can’t get along? Chilean president Michelle Bachelet is out to prove the opposite on a recent trip to the Vatican where it seems that she and Ratzi got on like a house on fire. The pope and the president chatted in Spanish and German, respectively, about the importance of the Catholic church in Chile, particularly its “positive contribution” to Chilean education and society.

Michelle Bachelet also presented the Pope with a message of gratitude from the Chilean people for its role during the time of the country’s military dictatorship. The president seemed quite grateful herself to the church:

I’m extraordinarily happy to have given, in the name of the Chilean people, the recognition that Chile has for the relevant role that the Catholic church played in our most difficult moments, when we lost our freedom,” she said.

Bachelet also seemed pleased with the outcome of talks with the Pope around political and social issues:

“There was tremendous harmony between our respective ideas and I asked that he pray for all Chileans, and that that would mean a light of hope for hundreds of thousands of people who will feel that his Holiness thinks of and remembers Chile.”

And who said Ratzi isn’t a nice guy? Not Bachelet: “I saw a cordial, kind and gentle pope, a connoisseur of Chile, and without a doubt it was a very exciting experience for me.”

That’s how the Latin American press reported the story. But according to Reuters, Bachelet was to speak with the Pope about “the right to life”. I wonder how well that one turned out.

Via / El Universal

Images Reuters/Maurizio Brambatti/Pool