Bogotá, Colombia, Sep 9, 2013 / 15:06 pm
The Colombian bishops are inviting the faithful of their country to take part in a pilgrimage for peace and reconciliation during the national Week for Peace this month.
"Peace has been one of the great concerns of the Church throughout the centuries," said Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, president of the Colombian Bishops Conference.
The pilgrimage – which began Sept. 8 – comes after the initiation of peace talks between the government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, a revolutionary guerrilla organization that had been in conflict with the state for decades.
Given these circumstances, Cardinal Salazar said, "the prayer for peace has become even more urgent and necessary. For this reason the Church calls us to go on pilgrimage for peace and reconciliation."