“The Church will always believe in peace talks,” says top Church mediator in Colombia about violence in the country and crisis on southern border

Bishops from Colombia and Ecuador met in the southern Colombian department of Putumayo to coordinate relief programs and pastoral strategies for the humanitarian crisis in the border region. Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao Gaviria led the gathering.

Henao, a peace broker who has represented the Catholic Church in negotiations between the government and armed groups for over 30 years, told Crux that the Church will continue to support peace talks. This follows the decision by President Abelardo de la Espriella's administration to end the peace negotiations previously started by former President Gustavo Petro.

The meeting addressed the situation in Putumayo, where local communities face violence from left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups, and criminal organizations. Henao expressed his expectations for peace along the southern border and throughout Colombia.