'We express our most categorical rejection': Catholic Church on mass grave found in Guaviare

The discovery this week of a mass grave containing the bodies of eight people who had been missing since April in Calamar (Guaviare) shook an entire region caught between the war between the FARC dissidents led by 'Iván Mordisco' and 'Calarcá'.

In response to this incident, the Diocese of San José del Guaviare and the Delegation for Church-State Relations of the Colombian Episcopal Conference expressed their categorical rejection of such acts of violence.

"It is with profound sorrow that we receive the tragic news that, according to the preliminary investigation, as confirmed by the Attorney General's Office, the eight social and religious leaders who disappeared since April 4 in the municipality of Calamar (Guaviare) were found dead in a mass grave. In response to this incident, as the Catholic Church, we express our most categorical condemnation and stand in solidarity with their families," they said in a statement.

In the document they also point out that "this infamous act, which has claimed the lives of eight people, who dedicated their lives to

spiritual and community service, which had not been reported for almost three months, represents a serious impact on the social life and peace of the region."

The Church also asserts that the disappearance and subsequent discovery of these bodies "causes pain and consternation among their families and the people of Guaviare."

"We call on armed groups to seek paths to peace that will improve the humanitarian situation, de-escalate the conflict in the region, and safeguard the lives of communities that continue to suffer the scourge of war," says the statement, signed by Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao Gaviria, delegate for Church-State Relations of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, and by Father Edgar Liévano Labrador, diocesan administrator of the Diocese of San José del Guaviare.

"We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, with the faith communities, and with the residents of Guaviare in these difficult times. We reaffirm our commitment to the defense of life, human dignity, justice, peace as a gift from God, and the pursuit of reconciliation in Colombia," the message concludes.