VATICAN CITY, FEB 12, 2004 (VIS) - In welcoming Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez to the Vatican today, Pope John Paul told him in remarks in Spanish that he was "pleased at the collaboration that exists between the Church and leaders in your country."
"Colombia is very present in my thoughts and my prayers," the Pope told him, "as I pray that its people might walk without losing heart towards an authentic social peace, rejecting any form of violence, generating new forms of coexistence for a sure and firm path of justice, and promoting in a capillary fashion from every corner of the nation unity, fraternity and respect for each other. It is time to establish firm foundations for the moral and material rebuilding of your national community in order to reestablish a society that is just, responsible, peaceful and marked by solidarity."
"I thank you for your visit," said the Holy Father, "and I renew my wishes for the spiritual and material progress of Colombians, for their coexistence in harmony and freedom." He asked for God's blessings "on the beloved sons and daughters of Colombia, on families, ecclesial communities and the diverse public institutions and those who administer them."
AC/PRESIDENT COLOMBIA/URIBE VIS 20040212 (210)
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