
Bogota, 10/07/2022. The Inter-Church Dialogue for Peace in Colombia expresses great joy and sees hope for peace grow in Colombia with the announcement by the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army-ELN, to reestablish the talks table of their respective delegations. We see signs of new times when they communicate «For the government of Colombia and the ELN, the participation of society in this process is essential in the changes that Colombia needs to build peace.»
As a sector that brings together a wide diversity of churches at the national and international level that has contributed to peace in Colombia, we salute the presence of the Catholic Church and ratify the Government of Colombia, the ELN, our willingness to accompany this table and be facilitators of dialogues that allow peace agreements, strengthen social processes, rebuild community fabric and contribute to a spirituality that contributes in the short, medium and long term to build a total and sustainable peace in Colombia that is the result of justice and the inclusion of the sectors that we have historically been excluded.
In this regard, Dipaz has held various meetings with Dr. Danilo Rueda, High Commissioner for Peace, and has resumed conversations with spokesmen for the National Liberation Army both at the territorial level and in Havana, through the Martin Luther King Center, with with a view to articulating the socio-ecclesial sector to these negotiations and contributing the experience acquired both in previous negotiations with the ELN and the key role in the peace agreement signed between the Colombian State and the former FARC. Also, there will be a meeting with the Ambassador of Cuba in Colombia on October 11.
Along with the above, Dipaz has been holding meetings for several months with Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao and delegates from the Catholic Church, specifically from the Office of Church-State Affairs to accompany the territorial peace processes. The results of these meetings will be followed up on October 12, 2022, specifically in relation to key international meetings to promote Dipaz’s advocacy agenda in relation to the construction of territorial peace and total peace. It is estimated that by the beginning of 2023, Dipaz, together with the Catholic Church, will hold an international event in support of the Total Peace process and the consolidation of an expanded front in support of peace.