_WORLD WATCH______________________________
__________________Columbia_________________

Bishops support new peace talks
A papal gesture toward a rebel leader

Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo, the president of the Colombian bishops’ conference, has expressed “unconditional and enthusiastic support” for the agreement made by President Andres Pastrana and the leader of the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Manuel Marulanda, for new peace talks.

Archbishop Giraldo Jaramillo greeted the 13-point agreement signed by Pastrana and Marulanda after the president traveled to the demilitarized zone of San Vicente del Caguan. “The decision to restart the dialogue for peace and to accept an international presence to observe the process are probably the most long-lasting agreements,” said Archbishop Jaramillo. The president of the bishops’ conference also welcomed the agreement to “make of San Vicente del Caguan a demilitarized zone only for the purpose of peace, and not for the rebels to recruit new militants.”

Many people in Colombia were shocked to learn that Pope John Paul II had sent a religious medal to the FARC leader. But Archbishop Giraldo explained that “this gesture does not express any moral judgment of the recipient, but is an act aimed to express the Holy Father’s desire for peace and justice in Colombia.” President Pastrana gave Marulanda a medal with the Pope’s image on one side and St. Paul on the other. The medal also had the phrase “Peace is in Truth.” Pastrana said that the Pope gave him the medal when he learned that the Colombian president was planning a face-to-face meeting with the rebel leader.