For Immediate Release - April 5, 2006

Evangelical church leaders pledge action for peace in Colombia

Evangelical church leaders in Colombia have pledged to redouble their efforts to help bring an end to the country's long running and brutal conflict, and they have appealed to all Colombians to "devote ourselves to serving our neighbour, even if that neighbour is an enemy."

Around 100 theologians, clergy, academics, community and denominational leaders - representing more than five million evangelical Christians - who met at a special summit recently, have called on churches, among actions, to:

• Set up trauma centres for people terrorised by the annual 3000 deaths and forced displacements which have seen three million people uprooted in recent decades.
  
  
• Train more pastors in conflict resolution and engage more fully in peace negotiations.
  
  
• Hold days of prayer and days of reconciliation and forgiveness.

The first ever Summit of the Evangelical Christian Church for the Peace of Colombia, held in February 2006 on the island of San Andres, recognised that evangelical churches had been for many years 'sowing the seeds of peace' through quiet work and prayer. But the summit acknowledged that churches could do more to address the decades-old conflict, which is marked by extreme levels of social and political violence.

In an eight-page statement, recently released, the leaders call on militia groups and the Colombian Government to "heed society's cry for an end to the armed struggle, so that we may work together to build a lasting peace that will put an end to the social violence endured by our impoverished and long-suffering people."

The statement added: "A first step towards dialogue should be a humanitarian agreement to allow victims of kidnapping to be released".

The evangelical leaders appealed to the international community to ensure that their policies "do not foment the armed conflict in Colombia, but instead promote actions that help us to build peace." And they called for a thorough international examination of the impact of agreements on free trade, Plan Colombia, and arms and drugs trafficking, in order to "seek social and economic justice and the general good of our country."

The churches were drawing up their own plans to support the goal of the national Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation.

"The purpose of our proposals is that of reconciliation between all men and women in Colombia, a reconciliation that recognises wrongs that have been done, makes reparation to the victims of crimes, and produces changes in those who perpetrated them.

"In practical terms, the churches can make a constructive contribution on matters of truth, justice, reparation, forgiveness, and on reconciliation and rehabilitation for both the victims of crimes and the perpetrators."

Ends

Notes to Editors:
Pictures available. Credit: Jim Loring/Tearfund.
Please contact: Jess Bee, jessica.bee[at]tearfund.org, 020 8943 7792

For further information, please contact: Pablo Stucky, Justapaz (office +57 1 2873908; mobile +57 (03) 3005551745) or email santuariosdepaz[at]justapaz.org; direccion[at]justapaz.org
Or Keith Ewing, Head of Media and PR, Tearfund UK, +44 208 943 7779

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