Can Pope Francis Get Colombia to Reconcile After Decades of War?
Pope Francis urged Colombians Wednesday to reject "vengeance" for the sufferings of their civil conflict and promote forgiveness to overcome lingering resentments as the country seeks lasting peace.
Cheering crowds greeted the 80-year-old Argentine pontiff as he prayed for the country to heal the wounds of war — though some warned that forgiveness was hard after so much violence.
Francis spoke alongside President Juan Manuel Santos, who has overseen a controversial peace deal with the FARC rebel force and a ceasefire with the last active guerrilla group, the ELN. Santos won a Nobel Peace Prize last year for his part in the accord that has seen the FARC disarm and transform into a political party.
It was a key step toward ending a many-sided territorial and ideological conflict that has left 260,000 people confirmed dead, 60,000 unaccounted for and seven million displaced. But the peace process has been fraught with division. Critics say the FARC rebels got off too lightly, with amnesties and alternative sentences. ...