Pope urges Colombia to seize ‘second chance’
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Pope Francis on Thursday urged Colombians to accept peace after a half-century of civil conflict, borrowing words from the country’s most famous novelist, Gabriel García Márquez, to say that Colombia had been given “a second chance upon the earth.”
In a speech in the capital alongside President Juan Manuel Santos, Francis sought to bolster support for an agreement between the government and the country’s main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, an acronym of its name in Spanish.
“The steps taken are creating hope that the search for peace is a project that is always ongoing, a task where there will be no truce, one that requires the commitment of everyone,” Francis said on the second day of his six-day visit.
The peace accord was signed late last year over the objections of voters who felt the agreement was too easy on the fighters, who were allowed to enter politics in exchange for laying down arms.
The pope appears to be well aware of the resentment: He has no plans to visit the former rebels and did not mention them in his speech Thursday, focusing instead on Colombians who were marginalized during the 52-year conflict — women and the poor.
“All of us are necessary to create and form a society,” Francis said. “This isn’t just done with the ‘pure blooded’ ones, but rather with everyone. And here is where the greatness of the country lies, in that there is room for all and all are important.”
For Santos, whose term ends next year, the pope’s visit to Colombia comes at a time when the president’s legacy is facing doubt.
Though the former rebels have largely held up their end of the bargain — disarming and forming a political party — some critics say Santos’ government has fallen short in providing assistance to them.
In his own remarks Thursday, Santos focused on the Colombian people, who he said must do their part to reconcile with the many crimes of the past. “Colombia is the one country in the world where today weapons are being exchanged for words.”