The pope, the highest representative of the Roman Catholic Church, is planning to visit Colombia, the ambassador of the Vatican in the South American country confirmed on Thursday.
Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s official representative in Colombia, said that the visit to the country would be in support of ongoing efforts in the country to make peace between the state and leftist rebel groups that have been at war for more than 50 years.
Apart from the promotion of peace, the Catholic Church leader will promote reconciliation among Colombians, of whom 13% are a victim of the armed conflict.
The pope, the highest representative of the global Catholic Church, is planning to visit Colombia, the ambassador of the Vatican in the South American country confirmed on Holy Thursday, the first public holiday in the Holy Week, during which Catholics and other Christians commemorate the death and believed resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The papal visit is the first since 1986 when Pope John Paul II included Colombia in a visit to South America and the Caribbean.
The current Pope, a former Argentina bishop, previously vowed to visit Colombia in the event of a peace deal with the FARC, according to Colombia’s ambassador to the Vatican.
The clergy has revived some the church’s popularity, having rejected sexual abuse practices within the institution while taking a more leftist approach to social issues.
