Agenzia Fides

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - A few days before the start of the second phase of the negotiation process for peace (see Fides 05/10/2012), the Catholic Church in Colombia calls the faithful and all people of good will to pray for this to happen. The note sent to Fides Agency by the Colombian Episcopal Conference reports the document, which will be read in all parishes in the country, where the Archbishop of Bogota and President of the Episcopal Conference, His Exc. Mgr. Ruben Salazar, asks for St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer of peace to be recited at the end of every Eucharistic celebration. Through this prayer, said the Archbishop, "we will find a fruitful spiritual path that will help us build reconciliation in our families, in communities and in our Country."
The document recalls that the government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) will open peace talks to put an end to half a century of armed conflict, on October 16 in Oslo, Norway, and reads as follows: "Despite the difficulties that can arise on the negotiationg session or outside of it, we need to support this process. We cannot remain in the trenches of the logic of war for fear of failure. We can and must defeat, united, skepticism and despair. As disciples of Christ, the Prince of Peace, we are called to give our contribution to the search for truth, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation, by supporting peremptorily the peace process that begins now." (CE) (Agenzia Fides 12/10/2012)