The Vatican has confirmed the possibility of Pope Benedict XVI visiting Colombia in 2013, local media reported Thursday.
According to Colombia’s outgoing ambassador to the Holy See, Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, the request for the visit must be formally sent to the Pope and to those who organize the Vatican’s agenda.
Velasquez, who invited the Pope to visit Colombia as “a visitor of peace and forgiveness,” claimed the Pope has said a trip to Colombia was a desire he hoped to fullfill.
Velasquez explained that a visit from the religious leader could be difficult, considering he is 85 years old.
President Juan Manuel Santos has designated the management of the possible Pope visit to Colombia’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Germain Cardona.