Jul 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Pedro Rubiano, Archbishop of Bogotá, Colombia, called on rebel and paramilitary forces this week to begin seriously working for reconciliation in the country by freeing all kidnapped.
Celebrating Mass on Colombia’s Independence Day, the Cardinal made this new call to the armed revolutionaries demanding an end to the civil war, the massacres and the kidnappings.
“Let us root out all seeds of hatred and violence, and let us cry out without ceasing for the liberation of all those who have been kidnapped as the best sign the insurgency can give the country and the world that when they talk about peace it is because they truly wish to help bring it about,” the Cardinal said during his homily.
Moreover, he called for an end to the bloodshed. “We demand as a sign of good will towards peace that they embark on the path of reconciliation” and that they realize that peace is for “the good of Colombia.”
Cardinal Rubiano expressed his concern for the lack of progress in negotiations for a peace accord and emphasized that the Church will continue to insist that the lines of direct communication with the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) be reestablished, so that the more than three thousand kidnapped will be set free.
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