Cartagena, Colombia, Sep 27, 2016 / 11:31 am
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin praised the signing of a peace agreement in Colombia on Monday, telling Colombians that a better future is possible, while also stressing that reconciliation is a commitment everyone must make, and which begins with those who have suffered.
Cardinal Parolin spoke from Cartagena, where he said Mass Sept. 26 to mark the signing of the peace agreement between the country's government and FARC rebels. He was present on behalf of Pope Francis for the signing of the agreement, where attendees dressed in white to symbolize peace.
"You can build a different future in which you can coexist without massacring each other and which possesses different convictions," the cardinal said Sept. 26.
He stressed that while recent decades have been challenging, it's possible to achieve a brighter future "within the framework of the respect of democratic rules, of human dignity, and of the Catholic tradition of this great nation."