Pope Benedict XVI met the presidents of Argentina and Chile yesterday on the 25th anniversary of a peace treaty between the two countries. The treaty followed the Church's vital contribution in mediating a territorial dispute between the two countries over the Beagle Channel in 1978.
It's one of the very few cases when the Church, thanks to the insistence at the time of John Paul II, has very publicly and successfully mediated in an international dispute.
Vatican diplomats are more often than one might think quietly operating behind the scenes to help avert international conflicts, but because of their discretion you rarely hear about them.
Photo: Chile's Michelle Bachelet (R) and Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (L) exchange gifts with Pope Benedict XVI (AFP)
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