Pope Francis will become the third Pontiff to travel to Colombia, and, at some points during his trip, will be in the same places that his predecessors visited.
1. Pope Paul VI
With his trip to Colombia in 1968, Blessed Pope Paul VI became the first Pontiff to visit Latin America. Although he was only in Bogota from the 22nd to the 25th of August on the occasion of the 39th International Eucharistic Congress, his presence certainly marked the nation.
When he got off the plane, the Holy Father kissed the Colombian soil and met with then President Carlos Lleras Restrepo, and then with the bishops, priests, and religious men and women in the Cathedral.
From the Archbishop's Palace he greeted the faithful who were gathered in Plaza Bolivar, a gesture that will be repeated by Pope Francis on September 7.
In the afternoon, Paul VI presided over the ordination Mass of 200 priests and deacons in the "Eucharistic Temple" which was built in the Simón Bolívar park for the Eucharistic Congress, which remains to this day.
The next day, he went to the municipality of Mosquera where he met with the poor and celebrated a Mass for the workers, entrepreneurs and university students who participated in the Day of Development. He also had a meeting with diplomats and foreign authorities who came to the country for the Eucharistic Congress.
According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, in the afternoon the Pontiff went to the Eucharistic Temple where he married 24 couples. That day he also blessed the new headquarters of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).
In his farewell address, Blessed Paul VI expressed that he saw in Colombia "a throbbing Church, Catholic in its universal dimensions, unified in the communion of faith and charity."
"We do not say goodbye, Colombia! Because we carry you more than ever in our hearts, from where we receive the blessing that we impart and extend to all the peoples of Latin America, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," he said.
2. Pope John Paul II
The visit of Saint John Paul II to Colombia took place 18 years later, in 1986, and lasted seven days, during which he toured ten cities.
On July 1, the Holy Father arrived in Bogota where, like his predecessor, he met the bishops, religious, and seminarians in the Cathedral, and greeted the faithful from the balcony of the Archbishop's Palace.
He also paid a courtesy visit to then President Belisario Betancur at the palace known as "La Casa de Nariño".
The following day he celebrated a Mass in the Simón Bolívar park, and on July 3 he went to the town of Chiquinquirá, located in the province of Boyacá. There he visited the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá and celebrated Mass there. He also gave a moving prayer to the Patroness of Colombia.
On July 4, he had a meeting with families in Cali. In his message, he affirmed that marriage "is not exhausted in a mere exchange of consent with human and juridical value," but "sinks its roots in the designs of God, expression of his love and creative power."
This trip was also marked by the visit on July 5 to those affected by the eruption of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Chinchiná. This disaster occurred in November 1985 and left more than 20,000 dead in Caldas and Tolima.
On the following days, St. John Paul II visited the cities of Medellin and Cartagena, where Pope Francis will also be. On July 6 he was in the tomb of St. Peter Claver in Cartagena where he delivered a speech in which he condemned all forms of modern slavery such as drug trafficking.
During that day he also visited the city of Bucaramanga where he celebrated a Mass dedicated to the laity.
On July 7 he was in Barranquilla and on the island of Santa Lucia. There he presided over the Eucharist and had a meeting with the sick and people with disabilities.
At the farewell ceremony, Pope John Paul II left the same exhortation he made at the beginning of his pontificate: "open your doors to Christ. Do not be afraid. Accept his message in your life. Make a place for him in your hearts."
