Colombian Evangelical Churches Unite at Landmark Summit For Peace

|TOP|Church leaders in Colombia have met at a unique summit to formulate a common position of the Colombian Christian Church on the ongoing conflict in the country which has killed an estimated 35,000 people in the country in the last fifteen years alone.

At least 100 theologians, clergy, academics, community and denominational leaders representing more than five million evangelical Christians gathered in San Andres last week for the first ever Summit of the Evangelical Christian Church for the Peace of Colombia.

The summit delegates focussed on developing “positive solutions to the conflict and current dialogue with armed groups which up to now have not allowed clarity for truth and justice,” read a Tearfund statement.

The recommendations for the road to peace are outlined in a conference document to be presented to the Colombian government and the paramilitary groups involved in the conflict which has continued on for 40 years.

|QUOTE|“As part of both the Christian Church in Colombia and the suffering people, we believe that this is the right moment for us to contribute our seeds of hope to the quest for peace,” says Roosevelt Mulier, President of Cedecol, the Colombian Evangelical Federation.

Ricardo Esquivia Ballesta, National Co-ordinator of the Commission for Restoration, Life & Peace of the Evangelical Federation said: “One of the greatest riches of Colombian evangelical churches is their great diversity, which enables it to view the crisis in our country from different theological viewpoints. It is time for us all to come together, discern, listen and gather the fruits of this wisdom for the good of our country."

Tearfund warned, however, that the Evangelical Church in Colombia may become even more of a target than it has been in the past following the summit and the document.

The summit was organised by Tearfund partner in Colombia, Justapaz, and was run together with Cedecol.

It is believed that around 3,000 people are killed by the violence in Colombia each year with nearly 3 million people now forced to live in shanty towns on the outskirts of the big cities after fleeing from their homes to escape the conflict.

Tearfund urged Christians to pray to support the Colombian church as it attempts to reconcile in the conflict.