(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 01.19.2024).- On the morning of Friday, January 19, Pope Francis received in a private audience, at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
“We have talked about the peace of Colombia, seeking a much more active position, both from the Vatican State and the Catholic Church, in the peace process of Colombia,” Petro declared after meeting with Pope Francis. The Colombian president also mentioned that “the Pope agrees that we take deeper steps in the peace agreements in Colombia” and announced that the possibility of holding meetings with the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the Vatican was considered.
Expanding on that point, Petro added: “It is possible that we will have a round – we will talk to the ELN – here, that we can build an even deeper step in the abandonment of violence with a scenario like this. It would be very suggestive for all Colombian society.” He emphasized that the proposal “whatever can happen with the peace agreement with the ELN, which I hope will be a resounding success, has to be agreed upon by both parties.”
Regarding the role of the Catholic Church, the socialist-communist president of Colombia acknowledged that “it has been a great support in Colombia to all peace processes and is at this moment in relation to the peace process with the ELN and the EMC.” He also stated that “The Vatican State, let’s say, already as a national, territorial, state instance, can be the scenario of a negotiation round. I would be very interested in the next one, or the one that can be established with the ELN, to be developed here for many reasons related to the history of the ELN itself.”
Finally, the group of representatives from the Colombian government proposed to the Pope the establishment of a Vatican-Colombia alliance to garner more support for the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and make it a reality. Among the topics discussed were also the climate crisis and the situation of religious freedom in Nicaragua.
The private audience of Pope Francis with the President of Colombia lasted for 40 minutes. President Petro was accompanied by Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Durán and the Colombian Ambassador to the Vatican, Alberto Ospina. The Pope presented the Colombian leader with a bronze sculpture representing two shaking hands, with the backdrop of the colonnade of St. Peter, surrounding St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and figures of a woman with a child and a migrant ship, with the inscription ‘Let’s fill our hands with other hands.’ He also handed volumes of pontifical documents and this year’s World Day of Peace message to the Colombian Head of State, who, in turn, brought Pope Francis an artisanal poncho and Colombian coffee.
The meeting with the Pope was followed by a meeting with Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
During the cordial talks at the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed for the good relations between Colombia and the Holy See, highlighting the positive collaboration between the Church and the State to promote dialogue, social justice, and reconciliation.
Continuing the conversation, issues related to the socio-political situation, the phenomenon of migrations, and environmental protection in the region were addressed.
One day earlier, on Thursday, January 18, the Colombian president met in Rome with the leaders of the Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic group that supports dialogue processes in various regions of the world.
