The Pope has given his support to peace talks with the FARC, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday.
In a speech, Santos said Pope Francis requested Colombia persevere with ongoing peace talks with armed group FARC in a message to Colombia’s Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin.
“I just talked to the Foreign Minister, who is in Rome ( … ) and she told me that she had spoken with Pope Francis and Pope Francis has sent me a message ( … ) : ‘ Tell the President to persevere in the process of seeking peace in our country,” Santos said.
The president said that this interpretation is not only for him, but for “47 million Colombians.”
Holguin was present in Rome for the canonization (sainthood) ceremony for Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.
The peace talks, in Havana, Cuba, have come under fire recently with many high profile members of government requesting they come to an end after a number of attacks against security forces in the past few months.
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Santos’ speech came at the end of a 10km “Race of Heroes” charity event to raise money for servicemen and women wounded in combat.
The Colombian government have been in peace talks with Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group, the FARC, since late 2012.
Sources
- El papa Francisco nos ha pedido perseverar en la búsqueda de la paz: Presidente Santos (President’s Office)
- Santos dijo que el papa Francisco le pide perseverar en el proceso de paz (Caracol Radio)
