(14 Jan 2018) When Pope Francis visits the de facto capital of Chile's Mapuche people, he will be inserting himself into one of Latin America's longest-running conflicts involving indigenous populations and one that periodically erupts in violence.
Leaders of both the Mapuches and the Chilean government have said in recent weeks they hope Francis can "facilitate dialogue" on disputes dating to the late 19th century, when the Mapuches, known for their ferocity resisting Spanish and other European settlers, were definitively defeated by the Chilean military.
At stake are many thorny issues: ownership of ancestral lands in the southern Araucania region, legal recognition of the Mapuches' language and culture, and discrimination that their leaders say permeates all facets of life.
Hugo Alcaman, president of ENAMA, a Mapuche group that encourages local businesses and advocates social change, hopes Pope Francis helps plant the seeds for what he says are needed negotiations.
How far the pope goes in any statement supporting the Mapuches will be closely watched, and even fretted over.
Francis, a native of neighbouring Argentina and the first pope from Latin America, has shown strong support for indigenous peoples during visits in other countries.
In Bolivia in 2015, he went so far as to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church's "grave sins" committed against indigenous communities in the name of God during the colonial era.
His visit to Temuco on Wednesday takes him to a region of high volatility. While the vast majority of Chile's estimated 1 million citizens of Mapuche descent oppose using violence, a small number use it to push their agenda.
In recent years, scores of churches have been among the targets — including three firebombed Friday in the nation's capital, Santiago.
Like in previous incidents in Araucania, pamphlets extolling the Mapuche cause were found at the scene of one of the churches, though no arrests were made and no group has claimed responsibility.
". We understand that (the Pope) will give a message of searching for understanding, so it's an opportunity for the region," said Emilio Taladriz, director of Multigremial de la Araucania, a conglomerate of unions across several industries.
Protests are expected in Temuco, including outside the Maquehue Air Base where the pope will celebrate Mass.
It was built on land that was taken from Mapuches in the early 20th century and remains a point of friction.
Chilean authorities plan to deploy more than 4,000 police officers in Temuco's streets as, flanked by 16 police vehicles, Francis rides in the popemobile down a central avenue before visiting an order of nuns.
A Mapuche choir will participate in the Mass, and afterward the pope will have lunch with a group of Mapuches hand-picked by local bishops.

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