Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is in Columbia
BL. (BISHOP) JESUS EMILIO JARAMILLO MONSALVE AND FATHER PEDRO MARIA RAMIREZ RAMOS are “a sign of God's presence in Colombia Mass.
Bl. Jesus Jaramillo, known for his care of the poor, was a Xaverian Missionary who served as bishop of Arauca . He became a target of the National Liberation Army, a Marxist guerrilla group in Colombia
Born in La Plata in 1899, Bl. Pedro became priest in 1931. When civil war erupted in Colombia between conservative and liberal groups, he was serving as a pastor in Armero. Local families offered to smuggle him to safety, but the priest refused to abandon his people.
On April 10, 1948, he was dragged out of his church by a group of rebels, who accused him of hiding weapons for conservatives. They lynched him in the town square. He died forgiving his killers.
The Holy Father said the two martyrs are an example of what it means to make reconciliation concrete. “The most powerful protagonists in the peace-building process are those people who have been victims of violence themselves, but have overcome the temptation to act with vengeance.
What is needed is for some to courageously take the first step in that direction, without waiting for others to do so. We need only one good person to have hope! And each of us can be that person!”
“Every effort at peace without a sincere commitment to reconciliation is destined to fail.”