CATHOLIC LIFE

Archbishop Smith meets Colombian counterpart
HUNDREDS OF people, from school pupils to MEPs, have pledged their support for a campaign for peace and justice in Colombia after an archbishop from the conflict-tom Latin American country visited England and Wales.
More than three million people — roughly equivalent to the population of Wales — have been forced to flee their homes by guerrilla groups and paramilitaries and many now live in poverty in shanty towns on the outskirts of cities.
Archbishop Ruben Salazar told school pupils, university students and parishioners what life is like for Colombians during a series of talks last week. He also met MEPs and concelebrated Mass at St David's Cathedral in Cardiff with , Archbishop Peter Smith during his week-long visit to England and Wales.
The 65-year-old explained how the Colombian conflict, which has raged for 40 years, has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world and urged people to sign a petition calling on the Colombian government to give survivors of the con flict the support they need.
The archbishop also encouraged people to sign a giant Welsh flag to show their support for the Colombian people, which he will present to a major reconciliation conference in Bogota in August.
Among those who joined the campaign for peace were Archbishop Peter Smith from the Diocese of Cardiff, Conservative MEP Jonathan Evans, Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans and Year 12 pupils from Joseph's RC High School in Newport.
Ruben Salazar is Archbishop of Baranquilla, Colombia's fourth-largest city. He is currently leading the Colombian Church's campaign for a negotiated peace in the country and has been outspoken in denouncing poverty as one of the root causes of the conflict.
He leads the Colombian Church's work in some of its most sensitive areas; humanitarian relief, the defence of human rights and peace education.
The archbishop said: "We need a real change in our society. We cannot live in conflict any more."