Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux

Maximiano Valdés Subercaseaux (23 September 1908 – 4 January 1982) - in religious Francisco - was a Chilean Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and served as the first Bishop of Osorno from 1956 until his death.

[2][3] The cause for his beatification was launched in 1998 and titled him as a Servant of God while Pope Francis declared Valdés to be Venerable on 7 November 2014 after recognizing his life of heroic virtue.

On 26 January 1930 he became the first native from his nation to join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin when he was received into their novitiate and he was given the religious name of "Francisco of San Miguel de Santiago".

During that period he helped to establish a convent for the Capuchin Poor Clares in his parish while also working and maintaining close ties with the Mapuche people.

Pope Pius XII appointed Valdés as the first Bishop of Osorno on 20 June 1956 with Sebastiano Baggio conferring upon him episcopal consecration on 16 September.

He was an ardent supporter and staunch advocate for dialogue and peace between Chile and Argentina in their border dispute and made repeated calls for fraternal negotiations aimed at ensuring better cooperation and coexistence between the two nations.

He died in 1982 at the San Francisco Hospital in Pucón; his last words were: "I offer my life to the pope, to the Church, to the Diocese of Osorno, to the poor, to the peace between Chile and Argentina, and to the triumph of love".

The beatification process for the late friar commenced under Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1998 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the official edict of "nihil obstat" (nothing against the cause) and titled him as a Servant of God.