Feb 1, 2008 / 06:01 am
The ambassadors of Spain, France and Switzerland to Colombia met this Wednesday with a group of bishops participating in the Ordinary Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia in order to study ways of achieving the release of hostages being held by the FARC.
The participants did not disclose the details of the meeting, but the archbishop of Bogota, Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Saenz, praised the willingness of the ambassadors, “who are always willing to collaborate in a special way with everything that would advance a peace agreement, a pacification of the country.”
This was the first meeting between the European delegates and the Church after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe reactivated mediation efforts by Spain, France and Switzerland for a humanitarian agreement on January 19.
Bishop Fabian Marulanda, general secretary of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, said the Church hopes to meet soon with representatives of the FARC in order to set up a meeting between the Marxist group and the government to nail down terms for an agreement.