Pope Francis addresses violence against women on Colombia visit
Pope Francis has condemned "verbal
and physical violence towards women" and called for "respect" while
addressing large crowds on a visit to Colombia.
The Argentine
pontiff, the first Pope to visit the country in over three decades, said
that the Bible celebrates women who are strong and influential.
"How many women, in silence, have persevered alone?" he asked those gathered in the city of Villavicencio.
The Pope is on a five-day trip to show support for the Colombia peace process.
He
was repeatedly interrupted by applause as he told listeners at a huge
open-air mass on Friday that many communities "are still weighed down
with patriarchal and chauvinistic customs".
The Pope has received a warm welcome in Colombia, a majority Roman Catholic country.
As the country prepares to reintegrate former members of the leftist
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) back into society, the
pontiff is urging reconciliation and forgiveness following decades of
bloody civil war.
The crowd in Villavicencio on Friday included thousands of victims of the fighting.
During the homily,
the pontiff beatified two priests killed during the conflict and warned
those present that the peace process needed reconciliation in order to
work.
The 2016 peace deal was narrowly rejected at first in a referendum.
The government and the Farc then agreed a deal several weeks later,
which was submitted to Congress rather than a second popular vote.
Since then, there have already been cases of murders of former Farc fighters.
Many hope that the Pope can help bring the country together again.
On Wednesday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told the BBC that the Pope's visit will help Colombians to finally make peace.
The Farc agreed to disarm and in June officially ceased to be an armed group.
The last papal visit to Colombia was in 1986.
BBC
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