A government spokesman revealed that President Andrés Pastrana gave the medal the Pope sent him to Manuel Marulanda, leader of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, during a peace-talk session last week.
The medal has John Paul II´s portrait on one side, and St. Paul´s on the other, with the Latin inscription: «Peace Is in Truth.» Moreover, Archbishop Beniamino Stella, the apostolic nuncio in Colombia, encouraged President Pastrana to continue the peace talks.
Addressing the diplomatic corps accredited in Colombia, Archbishop Stella mentioned that the peace process is supported by John Paul II, who «has raised his voice to implore Colombians not to fear dialogue and the concerted quest for peace that he, in his magisterium, has described as the gate of entry to other human rights.»
The nuncio reiterated the support of the international community for the Colombian government´s efforts to find a peaceful way out of the conflict, and appealed to the guerrillas to accept Pastrana´s proposals.
