sentences:  He was promoted to the metropolitan see of La Serena on 28 July 1971. by pope Paul VI.He was elected President of the Episcopal Conference of Chile in 1975.He played a key role in the efforts to restore democracy in Chile during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet by making contact with opposition leaders and persuaded them to unite in a pro-democracy effort that included Marxists and the democratic right.