Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Associated Press January 12, 2018
A church employee surveys the damage caused by an overnight fire bomb attack at the Emmanuel Catholic Church, in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. Three churches were attacked with fire bombs in Santiago overnight, dropping leaflets at the scene against the upcoming visit of Pope Francis, and calling for a "free" Mapuche nation. Nobody was injured or arrested. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Authorities in Chile say three Roman Catholic churches have been firebombed days before Pope Francis is set to visit the Andean nation.

The attacks happened overnight in Santiago, the capital and largest city, where the pope will arrive Monday.

They involved hitting the churches with firebombs and then spraying accelerant. In one church, the doors were burned before firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Outside one church, pamphlets were found exhorting the cause of the Mapuche indigenous people and threatening the pope.

They read: "The next bombs will be in your cassock."

Interior Ministry official Mahmud Aleuy called the damage "minor."

A bomb squad was also deployed to an evangelical church, where a barrel of flammable liquid was believed to be inside.

No arrests have been made.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

The people of God see the bishop of Rome as a teacher, but they also unquestionably see him as a father.
J.D. Long GarcíaMay 01, 2025
Since the death of Pope Francis, lists of his possible successors have proliferated on social media and in newspapers. Should you trust them?
Colleen DulleMay 01, 2025
A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, by Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinApril 30, 2025
In a pre-conclave meeting, an Italian cardinal, and backer of Cardinal Parolin as next pope, attacked Pope Francis for opening positions of responsibility in the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 30, 2025