Pope Francis has made history as he had performed an onboard wedding ceremony on Latin America’s largest airline, Latam for two flight attendants travelling between cities in Chile.
The flight attendants, Carlos Ciuffardi Elorriga, 41 and Paula Podest Ruiz, 39 married earlier at a civil service but requested that the Pope blessed their marriage while he was onboard the same flight with them.
“Do you want me to marry you?” he asked.
Carlos and Paula expressed their worries after their church in the Chilean capital city of Santiago was damaged by an earthquake in 2010. They noted that it was what prevented them from having the ceremony in the church.
Pope Francis then suggested performing the brief ceremony on his short flight from Santiago to the city of Iquique in Northern Chile.
Of course, they yielded.
He then carried out a Catholic wedding service for the couple, lining up the airline’s boss as a witness.
Paula and Carlos kissing each other after the short wedding ceremony
A travelling cardinal who was with the Pope provided a hand-written religious marriage document on a single sheet of paper, which was signed by the bride, groom, and witness.
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The journey forms part of the pontiff’s tour of Chile.
Paula Podest Ruiz and Carlos Ciuffardi Elorriga
On Wednesday, Pope Francis visited the city of Temuco in Chile’s southern Araucania region, where he called for unity in one of the country’s longest-running conflicts.
While speaking in public, the pontiff said that “destructive violence” between the indigenous Mapuche people and the state was not the answer.
The region has experienced conflict for centuries, sparked by issues including ancestral land ownership and legal recognition for the Mapuche language and culture.
Pope Francis has also used his trip to meet victims of sexual abuse by priests in Chile.
He is wrapping up his visit to the country on Thursday with an open-air mass celebration in Iquique, before heading to Peru for the final leg of his two-nation trip.
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