.- The Holy See Press Office declared this morning that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, sent a letter to Bishop Jaime Jaramillo Monsalve of Santa Rosa de Osos in Colombia, in the name of Pope John Paul II, assuring him of his “prayers and paternal affection” for Fr. Cesar Dario Pena Garcia, the pastor of Raudal in Valdiva, who has been held by kidnappers for more than a month.
"The Pope encourages the bishop and priests of the diocese to continue with courage and hope in their commitment to evangelization, and he invites them to care for, with constancy, the spiritual and social needs of the faithful entrusted to them,” said Navarro Valls. The Pope “hopes for a rapid solution to this painful situation and wishes the joy and peace of the Risen Lord upon the entire diocese and all of Colombian society."
