Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - An appeal for the needs of the victims of the conflict in Colombia to be at the centre of the search for a peaceful solution. Peace which, guarantees the verification of responsibility for violation of human rights, can be born on the solid basis of a vast project of social inclusion. This is the request of various European Caritas after a ten day visit to Colombia organised as part of a campaign launched by Caritas Internationalis last October in response to a call by the Catholic Church in Colombia. According to a statement sent to Fides, the local Church is fully committed to promoting peace, reconciliation and assistance for three million internally displaced persons as a result of a conflict which has lasted for forty years.
The Caritas delegation which included the presence of ten European members of parliament, visited some of the communities most affected by the conflict - refugees, Afro-Colombian groups - in the slums and outskirts of Barranquilla (department of Atlantico), Cúcuta (northern Santander), of Florencia (Caquetá) and Quibdó (Chocó). Besides members of the local Church it met the President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe Vélez, other important members of government and also international observers .
Caritas Europe will continue to support a negotiated solution to the armed conflict in the broader context of the search for the truth, justice and reparation in favour of the victims, in the conviction that the military response cannot solve the social problems at the root of the conflict. The members of parliament will illustrate the problems of the armed conflict in Colombia to their respective governments and parliaments. Caritas Italy for its part will intensify efforts to promote peace and attention for all conflicts, from those most followed, to those most forgotten. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 10/3/2005; Righe 22, Parole 292)
