POPE'S SORROW UPON THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF CALI

VATICAN CITY, MAR 17, 2002 (VIS) - After praying the noon Angelus today with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope announced that last evening Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali, Colombia was assassinated, and he called for prayers for peace in that country.

"From Colombia," he said, "the sad news arrives of the death of Msgr. Isaias Duarte Cancino, archbishop of Cali, cruelly murdered when he was leaving Good Shepherd Parish, after having celebrated several weddings. A generous and brave pastor in the proclamation of the Good News, he has paid a high price for the energetic defense of human life, his firm opposition to all types of violence and his dedication to social action based on the roots of the Gospel. As I elevate my prayers for the repose of the soul of the deceased prelate, I express my closeness to the Colombian Church which mourns this tragic loss, and I urge Colombians once again to forge ahead by means of dialogue, rejecting all types of violence, blackmail and kidnapping, and committing themselves firmly to authentic paths to peace."

John Paul II then remarked that, in coming days, the International Conference for the Financing of Development will take place in Monterrey, Mexico. He asked for prayers so that the "international community knows how to respond with generous and determined commitment to the immense needs of so many brothers that live in poverty that offends the dignity of man."

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