Pope Francis renewed his plea for Venezuela while in nearby Colombia, asking for a peaceful solution for the “grave crisis” the country is experiencing.
Pope Francis renewed his plea for Venezuela while in nearby Colombia, asking for a peaceful solution for the “grave crisis” the country is experiencing.
Through a television screen setup in the rectory of St. Mary Gate of Heaven in Ozone Park, Colombian parishioners witnessed the second day of their beloved home country welcoming Pope Francis with open arms, setting the stage for talks on reconciliation and peace during his visit to Villavicencio, Sept. 8.
By anyone’s standards, Pope Francis’ visit last week to Colombia was a great success. Except for maybe his doctor’s, since the Holy Father did return home with a shiner over and under his left eye.
At the annual prayer service for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, participants were encouraged to follow the example of Archbishop Óscar Romero who was martyred for standing up to government abuse and promoting human dignity.
If just one victim of Colombia’s civil war forgives his or her aggressor, it can set off a chain reaction of hope for reconciliation and peace, Pope Francis said.
“Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, is the new dawn that proclaims joy to the whole world, for from you has been born the sun of justice, Christ our God” (cf. Antiphon for the Benedictus). The feast of the birth of Mary shines its light over us, just as the gentle light of dawn radiates above the vast Colombian plain, this beautiful landscape whose gateway is Villavicencio, and shines its light too upon the rich diversity of its indigenous peoples.
In a country and a continent often infamous for chauvinistic attitudes towards women, Pope Francis called Colombians on it Friday, insisting that the Gospel story itself is a commentary on a world in which “psychological, verbal and physical violence towards women is so evident.”
After celebrating a Mass for a crowd estimated by the local mayor at 1.3 million, Pope Francis met with five bishops from Venezuela on Thursday. The encounter lasted just 10 minutes, but participants said it was enough to update the pontiff about the country’s worsening situation.
Pope Francis had a packed first full day in Colombia, with a roller-coaster of emotions for locals, more than a million of whom waited the entire day, under the rain, to participate in the first Mass he celebrated here.
During his first official address on his visit to Colombia, Pope Francis told civil authorities to work to resolve structural causes of poverty that lead to exclusion and violence.