Pope Francis had declined an August 12 invitation to appoint a representative to the committee in charge of selecting judges for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, explaining that given “the universal vocation of the Church and the mission of the Successor of Peter as Pastor of the People of God” it would be more appropriate for another party to fulfill this task.
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While hailing the peace agreement that marks the end of some 50 years of civil conflict in Colombia, Pope Francis declined an invitation to name a representative to help choose judges for what have been described as “peace tribunals”.
The ceasefire in Colombia came into effect on Monday, and the government and the FARC are due to sign a peace agreement this month which will then be put to a referendum on October 2. The rebels’ future political movement will also be given 10 seats in congress for two legislative periods lasting until 2026.
The signing of the 297-page agreement will trigger the gradual demobilization of the FARC’s estimated 7,000 fighters.
As part of the accord, rebels who confess war crimes will be spared jail time and ordered to carry out community service in areas hard-hit by the conflict. The conflict has claimed more than 220,000 lives and displaced millions of others.
The Catholic Church in Colombia has played a key role in rebuilding trust between the former enemies, yet when the peace deal was announced, it was greeted with caution.
Francis too, has been a key player in the peace accord, despite Wednesday’s announcement of the Vatican seating the new commission out.
The Marxist FARC rebels and the Colombian government have been engaged in peace talks in Cuba since 2012.
It is not yet know when the peace deal will be formally signed.
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“Today we have a slogan that. we will not forget the disappeared during peace time”, said Janet Bautista, director of a foundation named after Nydia Erika Bautista, who went missing on August 30, 1987, and who also suffered the loss of her friend, both of whom were guerrillas with the M-19 organization which demobilized in 1990.
