This past Monday, November 10,
the Diálogo Intereclesial por la Paz de Colombia or Inter-Eclesial Dialogue for
Peace (DIPAZ-Colombia) was constructed. The initiative comes out of a long path taken by
Churches and faith based organizations walking together for two years to build
an ecumenical body involved in the peace process of Colombia.
The Churches and
organizations involved in DIPAZ-Colombia include the Presbyterian Church of
Colombia, the Lutheran Church of Colombia, The Mennonite Church of Colombia,
Justapaz (a Mennonite organization focused on Justice, Reconciliation and
Nonviolent Action), Mencoldes (a Mennonite foundation focused on development),
the Inter-Ecclesial Commission for Justice and Peace, the Baptist University,
the World Service department of the Lutheran World Federation, and the program
of Faith, Economy, Ecology, and Society of the Latin American Council of
Churches.
The three areas of
work decided on for DIPAZ-Colombia will be 1. Reconciliation 2. Non-violent Action and
de-militarization 3. Truth and Justice. The group has decided to work for advocacy
inside the churches, with the government, other social sectors and also
directly with the peace process between the government and the FARC (Spanish
acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in Havana, Cuba. This
work will be developed considering the following components; formation and
pedagogy, media and communication, documentation, and specific processes of
accompaniment.
The Dialogue
(DIPAZ-Colombia) is already planning a trip to Havana, Cuba this December to
present themselves to those participating in the peace negotiations and share
the proposals being developed by the group. The main focus will be to push for
a confirmation that after successful negotiations there will be a Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, to make sure the story of the conflict and the
experiences of violence and rights violations do not go unaccounted by the
civilian population that experienced it.
The Human Rights Program of the Lutheran Church of Colombia is very
happy to be involved in DIPAZ, as am I, especially at this stage of
facilitating dialogue between different churches, all searching to fulfill a
reconciling role for these times in Colombia.
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| From
left to right: Abilio Pena of the Inter-ecclesial Commission for Justice and
Peace; Milton Mejia of the Latin American Council of Churches; Jenny Neme of
Justapaz and the Mennonite Church of Colombia; Andres Alba of the Lutheran
Church of Colombia; myself; and Luis Fernando San Miguel of the Presbytarian
Church of Colombia; and the photo was taken by Beatriz Garcia del Foro of
Lutheran World Federation.
After this post was written, before being published the
Colombian peace talks were suspended. The government decided to suspend
the negotiations after the FARC guerillas captured and refused to release an
army general, considering him as a prisoner of war. There has been no ceasefire
agreement, meaning the peace negotiations have been conducted during the last
two years while the conflict was ongoing. Please
keep the people of Colombia in your prayers, as well as a return to the peace
talks and its success.
To read more about the
suspension: Colombia Peace Talks
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