Pope appeals for ‘reconciliation’ in war-scarred Colombia
BOGOTA — Pope Francis on Thursday pressed a message of reconciliation as he began a fiveday trip through Colombia, a country scarred by more than 50 years of internecine conflict and struggling to implement a fresh accord with Marxist rebels.
In a morning address at the presidential palace, he acknowledged the “obstacles, differences and varying perspectives” complicating that effort, but urged Colombia’s political and civic leaders to persevere. “The more demanding the path, the greater must be our efforts to acknowledge each another, to heal wounds, to build bridges, to strengthen relationships and support one another.”
Later, hundreds of thousands of people streamed through the streets to the capital’s Simón Bolívar park, where Francis was scheduled to celebrate Mass.
After decades fighting to topple the government, the country’s main rebel group — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC — laid down its arms in June and, as part of an accord signed last November, transitioned into politics. Last week, it wrapped up its first political convention and launched a party under a repurposed acronym: FARC now denotes the Alternative Communal Revolutionary Force.
Meanwhile, a temporary ceasefire between security forces and Colombia’s second-largest rebel group, the ELN, takes effect Oct. 1.
“The Pope is coming at a unique moment in our history,” President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday. “Right when we turn the page on an absurd conflict and face the future with hope.”
But the country remains split over the scope of the deals reached with the rebels, who were responsible for numerous atrocities during the decades of conflict. In a referendum last year, half of Colombians opposed the accord with FARC, forcing a change of terms, and many now are looking to the Pope for spiritual guidance.
“He’s got a challenge here. He’s got to overcome the polarization between friends and enemies of the peace process, but without seeming like an outright defender of President Santos,” said the Rev. Fernán González, a Jesuit priest and researcher at the Bogotabased think tank CINEP.