Juan Francisco Fresno, the cardinal who played a key role in efforts to restore democracy in Chile during the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, died October 11. He was 90.

Fresno retired in 1989 after leading the Santiago church for six years, a period in which he hosted a visit by Pope John Paul II and promoted the first contacts between the Pinochet regime and the opposition seeking to restore civilian rule.

The pope’s visit in 1987 came during a time of revolt against the military regime. A papal Mass attended by nearly half a million people at a Santiago park ended in clouds of tear gas as police broke up demonstrations.

Fresno was born in Santiago into an upper-class family. After being ordained in 1937, he climbed steadily, and was named a bishop in 1958.

In 1983, Fresno was named by the pope to succeed Cardinal Raul Silva, who had displeased the Pinochet regime for years by defending human rights democracy. Fresno was expected to support Pinochet, but instead quickly and openly made contact with opposition leaders, and persuaded them to unite in a pro-democracy effort that included Marxists and right-wingers.

Eventually Pinochet was forced to call a referendum on his presidency, which he lost on Oct. 5, 1988.