Letter of Solidarity to Colombian Bishops' Conference, July 5, 2016

Letter of Solidarity from Bishop Oscar Cantu, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace to the Colombian Bishops' Conference, July 5, 2016

At this time of hope and encouragement in your beloved country of Colombia, I write to express the solidarity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) with the Church and people of your nation. The recent Statement concerning the cease-fire, issued by the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (CEC), deserves our enthusiastic endorsement. Please be assured of my sincere expressions of support and friendship, extended on behalf of the Committee on International Justice and Peace. We agree with you that only by continuing the hard work of reconciliation and dialogue, including providing for the peaceful elimination of unnecessary weapons and instruments of violence, will peace be secured. We have shared the CEC’s Statement with the Secretary of State of the United States. A copy of this letter is enclosed. 

We look forward to continuing communication with you and your brother bishops in Colombia, and to being of any assistance that you may find advisable during these hopeful times for your country. To this end, please be aware that, as already notified to you in a separate letter, I am planning a solidarity visit to your country in late August. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and to hear directly of those steps that we can jointly take to address the challenging problems at hand.

letter-of-solidarity-to-colombian-bishops-conference-2016-07-05.pdf