Cartagena, Colombia, Sep 19, 2016 / 23:04 pm
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will visit Colombia Sept. 26 to mark the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels.
It was announced Monday that Cardinal Parolin will visit Cartagena during the signing of the peace deal, which was agreed to Aug. 24 between the government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC).
The deal is intended to end a 52-year conflict in the South American country. It will be signed Sept. 26 in front of a large group of diplomatic delegations and then submitted to a popular vote by the Colombian people Oct. 2.
Cardinal Parolin's presence at the signing will fall immediately after his visit to the Sept. 13-26 U.N. General Assembly in New York City as the Holy See's Observer. During the assembly, he spoke at a Summit for Refugees and Migrants Sept. 19, and is expected to stay for a week before heading to Colombia.