February 9, 2012. (Romereports.com) Since October 2010, Luis Latorre Tapia has served as Ecuador's ambassador to the Holy See. Here in Rome, he's 6,000 miles away from the small South American country, he represents.
During his time in Rome, he 'been involved in a partnership with a children's hospital named Bambino Gesù. The collaboration allows many Ecuadorian children and even teenagers, to receive medical attention in Italy. Now the hospital has agreed to provide aid directly to those who need it in Ecuador.
Luis Latorre Tapia
Ecuador's ambassador to the Vatican
“The director told me: 'We would like you to make available part of a hospital that is not sufficiently used, to take doctors, nurses and medical equipment with you. We want to go to Ecuador and start to care for these children who need special treatment.”
Under this partnership, last November, Italy shipped supplies to a hospital in Manta, that cares for the elderly and terminally ill. But at first, the ambassador says, there was a bit of a learning curve.
Luis Latorre Tapia
Ecuador's ambassador to the Vatican
“With the help of migrant Ecuadorians here in Rome, we prepared the material and the container departed in November. After a lot of work and making many mistakes, because it was the first time the embassy has done this type of thing, we found out it finally arrived on January 26th.”
Ambassador Tapia is one of many Latin Americans who have high expectations for the Pope's coming trip to Cuba and Mexico next March.
Luis Latorre Tapia
Ecuador's ambassador to the Vatican
“He will be speaking not only to Mexicans, but all Latin Americans, because remember that the Virgin of Guadalupe is the patroness of all the Americas. The message that he will hopefully leave will infuse the Catholics in Latin America to really understand that an opportunity for change can only come from us. If we don't change, our America will never change.”
As ambassador, Tapia is hoping to see that change in his country. He's made it one of his priorities and continues to send aid to Ecuador. His next plans includes shipping medical supplies to a hospital in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
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