The Latest: Pope meets victims of Colombia flood disaster
VILLAVICENCIO,
Francis donned a blue striped poncho given to him by the delegation of 10 residents of Mocoa, which is near
Francis had already sent his condolences to Mocoa after three rivers overflowed April 2, sending a wall of mud through the city while people slept.
Victims of
Relatives of a nurse who disappeared in 2004 arrived Friday with photos of the woman,
Amid images of dismembered body parts, it read: "Somewhere in the Guaviare, the dreams of nurse
The woman's mother says that despite the pain, she has forgiven the assailants with the help of a priest.
Francis pressed his call for forgiveness during a visit Friday to a region bloodied by the half-century of armed conflict. It's the highlight of his five-day trip to
Francis was interrupted repeated by applause from the crowd of tens of thousands at a Mass in Villavincencio. He praised Colombians harmed by the conflict who have "overcome the understandable temptation for vengeance" and instead worked for peace.
The pope said their choice in no way legitimized the injustices they suffered, but rather showed a willingness to build a peaceful future together.
He warned: "Every effort at peace without sincere commitment to reconciliation is destined to fail."
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Villavincencio, a region bloodied by the conflict. They clapped as Francis moved the two men a step closer to possible sainthood at the start of Mass on Friday.
The Rev.
Priests in the central Colombian town of Armero said Ramirez was pulled from the church, stripped naked and attacked with machetes by an angry mob of Gaitan's followers, who accused him of protecting their conservative enemies.
Bishop
In beatifying them, Francis said they had "shed their blood for the love of the flock to whom they were entrusted."
Even though
Francis' message of reconciliation may finally be making some headway with
The mayor of
Just the fact the rivals will be sharing the VIP section together is a minor political miracle. Uribe has bitterly denounced Santos' peace deal with the
Francis brought both together at
But Uribe still opposes the deal and has intensified his criticism of Santos' government with an eye to next year's presidential elections, in which implementation of the accord is likely to be decided.
The former leader of
The man better known by his nom de guerre of Timochenko said he was begging forgiveness for any "pain we've caused the Colombian society or any of its individuals."
Francis is travelling Friday to an area once besieged by the
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