Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon, head of the Pontifical Commission ‘Ecclesia Dei’, said he had had phone conversations with the FARC and the ELN this week.
In an interview with RCN from Italy the Cardinal said that he and the guerrilla groups “spoke together as Colombians and as Christians”.
“Despite
all the difficulties, in spite of the ongoing war, I encountered the same desire for openness that I found when talking to the President [Alvaro Uribe],” he said.
The Cardinal did not provide details about his conversations with the guerrilla groups.
He praised Uribe’s efforts, saying “he has always held open the doors to dialogue as long as it is real and sincere – a dialogue about concrete concepts”.
He added, “I think that some of the guerrilla leaders are now on the path to something more concrete”
“The time has come to put reason before arms and for arms to defend reason… I truly hope that peace will come to Colombia”.