Pope Francis met with the President of Colombia, where he said he was satisfied with relations between Colombia and the Holy See. The Pope also highlighted the role of the Church in the reconciliation of the Colombian people. The President proposed the Vatican as a venue for negotiations between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), who in 2016 signed a peace agreement after 5 decades of conflict.
GUSTAVO PETRO
President of Colombia
The Vatican State, let us say as a national, territorial, state entity, can be the stage for negotiations. I would be very interested if one could be established here with Colombia's National Liberation Army.
Pope Francis has joined the chorus of voices calling for a cessation of hostilities in the Latin American country. During the meeting, they also discussed other issues affecting this part of the world.
GUSTAVO PETRO
President of Colombia
We talked about the Nicaraguan issue, Colombia will put its best efforts into this matter. We talked about the climate crisis and a very concrete proposal of Colombia signing the treaty on the non-proliferation of fossil fuels.
During the meeting, both heads of state exchanged gifts. The Colombian President gave Pope Francis a national coffee and a typical Ruana poncho. The Pope responded this way:
I signed this for you today.
Pope Francis also presented the President with a bronze figure of two hands in front of a migrant boat, engraved with the phrase “extending a hand to the needy.”
PA
TR: AT
