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Pope visiting Colombia after playing key role in peace talks

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Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives for a weekly general audience at St Peter's square on March 1, 2017 in Vatican. Pope Francis will travel to Colombia in September where he closely followed peace talks between the government and rebels that eventually led them to forge an agreement to end the country’s long civil war. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Presse

Pope Francis will travel to Colombia in September, the Vatican said Friday, after the pontiff closely followed peace negotiations between the government and FARC rebels.

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The September 6-11 trip will include stops in the capital Bogota as well as Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena, the Church said, adding that a fuller itinerary for the trip will be published shortly.

The visit is at “the invitation of the President of the Republic and the Colombian bishops”, a Vatican statement said.

A member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rests in a transitory camp in Tumaco town, Narino, southwest of Colombia as the long civil war in the country comes to an end. Photo: EPA
A member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rests in a transitory camp in Tumaco town, Narino, southwest of Colombia as the long civil war in the country comes to an end. Photo: EPA

The Argentinian pope has followed Colombia’s peace negotiations closely, having brought together President Juan Manuel Santos and his predecessor Alvaro Uribe at the Vatican in December in an unsuccessful bid to persuade them to overcome their differences over a deal with the rebels.

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The FARC began disarming last week under a historic peace deal, beginning the delicate transition from guerrilla army to political party after more than half a century at war.

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