Pope Francis arrives for Colombia's first papal visit since 1986
Pope Francis arrived in Colombia on Wednesday for the first papal visit since 1986, the beginning of an intense, five-day trip in which he will try to bring a sharply divided nation together in the cause of peace.
The pope’s Alitalia jet touched down at a military base next to Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport and was met by President Juan Manuel Santos; his wife, María Clemencia; and Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s representative in Bogotá.
Santos has focused much of his presidency on a peace agreement finalized in December with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the largest of several mainly leftist rebel forces that have been at war with the government since the 1960s.
The peace deal ended 52 years of conflict; but its concessions to the rebels have opened sharp divisions in Colombian society, between those willing to forgive the violence of the past and those who insist the agreement’s terms are too generous.
Francis strongly supported the peace initiative without appearing to favor either side or specific deal points. A Vatican spokesman said this week that the pope has long wanted to visit Colombia, with the world’s third-biggest population of Roman Catholics; but wanted to wait until the peace negotiations were completed before making the trip.
At: http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-colombia-pope-20170906-story.html
Pope Francis greets Colombian children upon his arrival at Bogotá today. President Juan Manuel Santos and First Lady María Clemencia Santos accompany him.
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