The World - News from Oct. 28, 1988

Two Chilean bishops criticized military President Augusto Pinochet for likening his plebiscite defeat to Jesus’ Crucifixion, and one called on the Roman Catholic Church to punish him. Pinochet’s words were “unfortunate,” Bishop Bernardino Pinera, the vice president of the Chilean Bishops Conference, said in a statement. Separately, the newspaper La Epoca quoted Bishop Tomas Gonzalez as saying, “He deserves punishment by the church because making fun of the word of God has always been punished.” In an impromptu speech to supporters Tuesday, Pinochet compared his defeat to a biblical story in which people voted to save Barabas and crucify Jesus. Pinochet was defeated 55% to 43% in a yes-or-no ballot Oct. 5 on extending his rule another eight years.