Pope’s ‘great prayer meet’ in Colombia

Pope Francis is heading into a former war-ravaged city to pray with victims of Colombia’s long conflict and urge them to overcome their grief by forgiving their former assailants.

The highlight of his visit to the central city of Villavicencio, described by the Vatican as a “great prayer meeting for national reconciliation”, is bound to be a deeply emotional gathering for Francis, who has made reconciliation the central theme of his fiveday visit to Colombia.

The Pope promised to visit the country upon the signing of last year’s peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).