The Catholic Church has accepted the invitation of Colombian President Gustavo Petro to participate «permanently» in the peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and has already sent a delegation to Venezuela, the first scenario for the start of the negotiations.
«The Episcopal Conference has received the invitation of President Petro to accompany the total peace process, and in particular also this process of dialogue with the ELN. It is a contribution that the Church makes thinking of the Colombian people, in the regions most affected by the conflict», confirmed the Church’s delegate, Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao.
The religious explained that they have decided to accept the invitation of Casa Nariño due to the «need» that Colombia has to advance «in the transformations» that the country needs, in «the consolidation of peace», as well as in «the construction of a reconciled nation, in which there is social justice and possibilities of participation for all sectors».
In this sense, they have emphasized that they are prepared to collaborate in all that is needed to «consolidate» this «much desired» process, according to the letter signed by the Archbishop of Bogota, Luis José Rueda, reports Caracol Radio. In addition to Monsignor Henao, the delegation will be formed by the Archbishops of Popayán, Ómar Alberto Sánchez; and of Cali, Darío de Jesús Monsalve.
A little less than a month ago, the first formal meeting of these dialogues between the Government and the ELN guerrilla began in Venezuela, one of the strong campaign promises of President Petro, in the framework of his so-called total peace.
In addition to the Catholic Church, political and civil actors of all kinds are participating in these processes. In recent days, the United Nations has also confirmed its invitation to accompany the negotiations. Venezuela, Cuba and Norway will be present as guarantor countries, while the United States, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain as accompanying countries.
The guerrillas and the Government of Colombia resume the path of dialogue to reach a peace that had stalled since 2018 with the arrival of Iván Duque to the Colombian Presidency and subsequently abandoned after the attack against a police school in Bogota in 2019 that left 23 dead and almost a hundred wounded.
