The decision to confer the honor on Father Joaquín Alliende, 70, was made earlier this year by Pope John Paul II.
The charity’s president, Hans-Peter Röthlin, said of today’s conferral of the Cross «for the Church and the Pontiff»: «For a long time, Father Alliende supported the Church in Latin America in word and deed.
«As a member priest of the Schoenstatt Movement and international ecclesiastical assistant, he has been helping our charity for decades — in a pioneering position — to implement the charisma of our founder, Father Werenfried van Straaten, in creative fidelity.»
Father Alliende, a Chilean, was ratified in his post last week at the general assembly of Aid to the Church in Need.
