“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God.”
(Matthew 5: 9)
We are
a broadly representative group which has been brought together by DiPaz
(Interchurch Dialogue for Peace in Colombia). We met from the 8th through the 11th of April in Bogotá Colombia.
There were 90 delegates from 10 churches, 17 national church organizations, 15
ecumenical organizations and churches from three continents, and
representatives of Colombian victims’ groups that are constructing their own
proposals for the peace in various regions of Colombia.
Deep in
our hearts and minds we have felt the presence of the Risen Christ in our
midst. We have also powerfully felt the presence of the children, youth,
women and men who have been murdered and disappeared in this long internal armed
conflict Colombia is suffering, and at this particular time in which a
political solution through dialogue is being sought.
The
clear messages brought to us by indigenous, afro-descent and mestizo Colombians
accompanied us in our discussions. These people are recognized as the
victims of murder, disappearances, torture, and forced displacement from their
homes and land. But they have redefined and given new meaning to their
pain, empowering them to bring forward very specific proposals for the
resolution of the internal armed conflict They are the artisans of
peace whose ideas we will give preference to in our contribution to the work of
building a peace with social justice, a concept of peace which is a key tenet
of our church traditions.
We have
also advanced in our analysis of the current peace process through the
participation of various persons who have been close to the dialogues in
Havana. We have heard and discussed the movement that has taken place in
the dialogues with the FARC which has produced preliminary accords related to
land questions, participation in the political process, the problem of drugs
and drug trafficking, as well as the efforts being made to establish dialogue
with the ELN.
We
consider the unilateral cessation of hostilities by the FARC which began in
December 2014 to be a positive step, as well as the public recognition by the
FARC of their responsibility for their attacks on the civilian population in
Bojayá (Department of Chocó). We also value highly the joint agreement
between the Colombian government and the FARC regarding clearance of land mines
and specific steps to achieve a de-escalation of the armed conflict.
Lastly, we see as positive the government decision to extend for an additional
month the order halting aerial bombardment of FARC forces.
At our
meeting we received a video message from the FARC negotiation team in Havana
which sent greetings to our gathering and shared information about the progress
that has been made at the dialogue table. We also heard from a
representative of the Office of the High Commission for Peace of the Colombian
government who presented his views on the dialogue process.
We
would like to give special recognition to the report from the Historical
Commission on the origins of the conflict in Colombia. We understand this
report to be a significant contribution leading to the crucial use of truth in
the effort to achieve peace. We believe it will be an obligatory reference
point for our approach to the contemporary history of Colombia and a
fundamental element in the eventual creation of a Truth Commission which will
bring to light information about those responsible for this long
confrontation. We understand that as the churches we ourselves are not
exempt from this process. We have reaffirmed as Christians that it is
truth that sets us free (John 8:31). It frees not only the victims, but
also the whole of society, including the perpetrators and victimizers.
In
spite of these encouraging advances, we are still very concerned that the
number of victims of the conflict continues to increase because the armed
conflict persists even as the dialogues are going on. The number of victims
also increases because of the various exceptions and omissions which we see in
all of the partial accords. We hold that these omissions will have to be
revisited because these very themes which have not been dealt with have to do
with the structural inequalities which originally led to the armed
confrontation in Colombia. These issues are about social
justice: Our faith commitment requires us to contribute to the
construction of a society which protects life, provides bread for the hungry,
water for those who thirst, clothing and shelter for those who have none
(Matthew 25:31-46). This is a matter of the just distribution of the
commonwealth which God has created, so that all human beings can have the
abundant life which the Gospel announces (John 10:10)
In our
prayers, in our Bible study, in our worship and in our deliberations we have
reaffirmed our commitment to the peace process, but we are also quite clear
that the signing of peace accords will be but one of the important steps leading
to the silencing of the guns. We know that we must give specific support
and solidarity to the communities that are engaged in peace building in the
various regions of Colombia. Truth, repentance by those who have
generated the violence, forgiveness as a civic value and social justice: all
these will be necessary for swords to be beaten into plowshares, for there to
be food security, for basic needs to be secured for all those who do not have
them. (Isaiah2:4)
We
therefore commit ourselves to the following agenda and actions, so that we may
make our contribution to this process as national and international actors,
responding to God´s call for us to be peace builders. We invite our
brothers and sisters in the churches and international ecumenical organizations
to also become co-dialogue partners (“CoDi”) on this pilgrimage in the quest
for truth, justice, demilitarization, non-violent action and reconciliation in
Colombia.
1. Linking
of national and international networks of churches, communities and
organizations, in order to move forward in the construction of peace with
justice, working at the global level, in Latin America and in Colombia.
2. Support
for this agenda and these actions which will come from the resources of our
national and international churches and organizations. This will include:
political advocacy for peace with justice, drawing on the proposals of victims’
groups; advocacy for the bilateral cessation of hostilities; and advocacy for
compliance with potential accords.
3. The
designing of a communications strategy for these initiatives, using the
information sites and other media which exist in our churches and
organizations, in order to have a significant impact on the construction of a
just peace in Colombia.
4. The
creation of communities dedicated to learning about peace. These would develop
holistic educational proposals and would draw on the work of the Historical
Commission on the origin of the conflict, so that this material can be better
understood by our churches, organizations, educational institutions, et al.
5. Promotion of
the crucial process of monitoring the implementation of the eventual accords
which will come out of the peaceThis would need to include verification
commissions as agreed upon with the local communities.
6. Readiness to
participate in the creation of a Truth Commission, in line with the proposals
already put forward by victims’Such a Commission would include the
participation of high profile international figures well-known to our churches
and ecumenical organizations.
7. Accompaniment
of communities in various regions of Colombia that are affirming their rights,
emphasizing in particular action to provide protection for peace-building
communities, for community leaders and for human rights defenders.
8. Part of our
contribution to the quest for truth will involve investigation of possible
responsibility of our churches for committing specific acts, and also for
failure to take action in regard to specific situations arising in the context
of violence in Colombia.
Bogotá, D.C., 11 April 2015
