In the early part of the 20th century, Argentina and Chile were engaged in an ongoing border dispute. Inspired by Pope Leo XIII’s calls for worldwide peace and harmony, the Bishop of Cuyo commissioned a statue of Christ the Redeemer to remind believers of Christ’s message of peace. As the countries drew closer to armed conflict, plans were made to ship the statue from Buenos Aires to the Andes as a symbol of peace between the two nations.
The statue stands at the border of Argentina and Chile, at 12,572 feet, on the Bermijo Pass. This is the location where General José de San Martín and his army of 4,000 crossed the Andes in 1817 in their quest to liberate Chile from Spanish rule. Needless to say, it is sacred ground to the many South Americans who consider San Martín to be their Libertador.
In 1902, a peaceful resolution to the dispute was reached. Two years later, 3,000 Chileans and Argentinians climbed to the summit together to see the statue unveiled. One of the plaques beneath the statue reads:
Sooner shall these mountain crags crumble to dust than Chile and Argentina shall go to war again with each other.
The countries came to the brink of war in Beagle Conflict but, at Pope John Paul II’s urging, signed a Vatican-mediated compromise in 1984.
I guess Christ the Talisman is working!
