April 16, 1999
SANTIAGO, Chile - Tens of thousands of people paid an emotional last tribute to Cardinal Raul Silva, an outspoken defender of human rights who was buried Monday.
``He was the best among Chileans,'' President Eduardo Frei said of the prelate, who died Friday at age 91.
Many people cried openly on downtown streets as the coffin rode slowly from Santiago's cathedral to the government palace and back. The coffin was carried atop a funeral car and was showered with flower petals.
Prominent among those paying tribute were relatives of dissidents who had disappeared after being arrested under the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pino-chet. Many of them held up photographs of their missing loved ones.
``Raul, friend, the people are with you,'' the people chanted repeatedly as the coffin advanced.
The death of the Roman Catholic cardinal triggered a massive outpouring of sorrow and solidarity toward the man many Chileans saw as a defender of human rights and symbol of national reconciliation.
Reconciliation appeared elusive: military officers and right wing politicians who appeared at the funeral ceremonies were loudly booed. As Frei paid tribute to Silva's defense of human rights, the crowd interrupted by chanting, ``We want justice!''
Over the weekend, long lines of people filed past Silva's coffin in the cathedral. Thousands attended several masses in his memory.
The cardinal was buried in a special crypt within the Cathedral complex, which was his church during his years as Archbishop of Santiago.
Named Archbishop in 1960, the prelate became a cardinal two years later. It was under Pinochet's regime from 1973-90 that he became a symbol of human rights.
He sponsored a group that gave legal aid to political prisoners and helped find jobs for those dismissed for political reasons. Silva also worked to collect evidence of torture and other human rights abuses.
An official Chilean report says 3,197 people were killed or disappeared at the hands of Pinochet's secret police, most during the early years of the past military rule.
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