Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 8 September 2017
Pope urges forgiveness in Colombia after decades of conflict

By NICOLE WINFIELD ness, saying young people
JOSHUA GOODMAN more than adults are able
Associated Press to “leave behind what has
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — hurt us and look to the fu-
Pope Francis urged young ture without the burden of
Colombians on Thursday hatred.”
to take the lead in promot- “You make us see the
ing forgiveness after a half- wider world which stands
century of armed conflict, before us, the whole of Co-
and he demanded the lombia that wishes to grow
ruling class address the en- and continue its develop-
trenched inequalities that ment,” he said.
sparked Latin America’s Looking ahead, Francis in-
longest-running armed re- sisted that Colombia now
bellion. needed to enact “just
“There has been too much laws” to resolve the struc-
hatred and violence,” tural causes of poverty
Francis told a crowd at Bo- and inequality to “over-
gota’s presidential palace come the conflicts that
that included disabled have torn apart this nation
children and soldiers with for decades.”
amputated limbs. “Let us not forget that in-
Francis received a raucous equality is the root of social
welcome on his first full day Pope Francis arrives at the Cardinal’s Palace in Bolivar Square in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, ills,” he warned.
in Colombia, with young Sept. 7, 2017. The FARC formed as a
choir members abandon- (L’Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP) Marxist army in the mid-
ing their positions in the pal- In his first major speech of olutionary Armed Forces of Citing the most famous 1960s to overthrow Colom-
ace courtyard and throw- his trip, Francis appealed to Colombia, better known by work of Colombia’s Nobel bia’s economic and social
ing their arms around him President Juan Manuel San- its Spanish acronym FARC, laureate, Gabriel Garcia system and open the way
as he arrived. The crowd tos and Colombia’s politi- the guns have fallen silent Marquez, Francis said Co- to redistributing land amid
was equally jubilant at Bo- cal, cultural and economic and 7,000 rebels are tran- lombians now needed to gross economic inequali-
gota’s main Plaza Bolivar, elite to avoid the tempta- sitioning back to civilian reconcile. ties.
where about 22,000 flag- tion to seek vengeance as life. But Colombians remain “The solitude of always be- While the first year of the
waving Colombians inter- the country emerges from badly divided over the ac- ing at loggerheads has accord’s implementation
rupted him repeatedly. the conflict and works to cord, with conservative been familiar for decades, has seen the FARC disarm,
History’s first Latin Ameri- rebuild. Instead, he said opponents seeing it as too and its smell has lingered it also has been marked by
can pope took the inter- they should commit them- generous for the guerrillas for a hundred years,” he the state’s failures to bring
ruptions, protocol hiccups selves to “heal wounds, who were behind scores of said. “We do not want any services to hard-to-reach
and security breaches build bridges, strengthen atrocities during the con- type of violence whatsoev- communities where the
in stride, joking with the relationships and support flict. er to restrict or destroy one government has historical-
crowds and relishing in the one another.” In all, the fighting left more more life.” ly had little presence and
adoration of one of the One year after the govern- than 250,000 people dead, Francis appealed to Co- where rebels are begin-
continent’s most staunchly ment signed a peace ac- 60,000 missing and millions lombia’s youth to take the ning a new chapter as ci-
Roman Catholic countries. cord with rebels of the Rev- more displaced. lead in promoting forgive- vilians. q

Christ statue mutilated by war to receive papal blessing

By ALBA TOBELLA a message of recon- statue — perhaps the
Associated Press ciliation because of its most powerful reminder
VILLAVICENCIO, Colom- proximity to some of the of the senseless political
bia (AP) — A mutilated heaviest fighting during violence that left an es-
Christ statue rescued the half-century armed timated 220,000 people
from a bombed-out conflict.The Friday meet- dead.
church will take cen- ing and prayer of recon- Some 300 Afro-Colombi-
ter stage Friday when it ciliation are perhaps the an residents were shel-
will be blessed by Pope highlights of Francis’ five- tering in the church —
Francis at a symbol-filled day visit to Colombia, the town’ only concrete
ceremony meant to bringing together some building — when it was hit
heal wounds fresh from 6,000 victims of the con- by a mortar launched by
a conflict that is winding flict as well as a former the Revolutionary Armed
down but still bitterly di- guerrillas and members Forces of Colombia dur-
viding Colombians. of state security forces. ing a three-way firefight
The modest plaster stat- The pope is to beatify in 2002 with right-wing
ue, without legs or arms, two Colombian priests militias and the army.
traveled several days In this file frame grab made from video taken on May 8, 2002, killed during guerrilla At least 79 people died
by boat, plane and a broken statue of Christ lays on the floor of a church in Bojaya, warfare, declaring them and 100 were injured.
bus from its altar in the Colombia. Some 300 Afro-Colombian residents were sheltering martyrs who were killed “This is the Christ of
impoverished western in the church _ the town’ only concrete building _ when it was hit out of hatred for the peace,” said Rosa Mos-
town of Bojaya to reach by a mortar launched by the FARC during a three-way firefight Catholic faith. quera, a 52-year-old Bo-
Villavicencio, a city cho- in 2002 with right-wing militias and the army. At least 79 people Presiding over the event jaya resident who still has
died and 100 were injured.
sen by Francis to deliver (AP Photo/APTN) will be Bojaya’s Christ wounds from the day.q