BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS)—Pope Francis urged Colombians to put aside prejudice and pursue peace through social inclusion, fighting inequality and paying attention to the plight of the country's most marginalized populations, such as campesinos, Afro-Colombians and indigenous peoples.
Speaking alongside President Juan Manuel Santos, the Pope called on Colombians to recognize that "real wealth is diversity" and to pursue a "culture of encounter," in which people are at the centre of all political, social and economic activity. Promoting such a culture would "help us flee from the temptation of revenge and the satisfaction of short-term partisan interests."
The Pope is visiting Colombia from Sept. 6-10.
