Misael Vacca Ramirez, the Bishop of Yopal
Posted on 07/27/2004 7:57:52 AM PDT by NYer
Misael Vacca Ramirez, the Bishop of Yopal
BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe ordered his troops to launch a rescue operation if they locate a Roman Catholic bishop being held by Marxist rebels in jungle-covered mountains.
Hundreds of counterinsurgency forces searched the northwestern Casanare region Monday for signs of Misael Vacca Ramirez, the Bishop of Yopal. He was seized Sunday by members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the smaller of Colombia's two main rebel groups.
"Kidnapping is indefensible," Uribe told reporters. "He must be rescued, and I hope that he quickly regains his freedom."
Speaking Tuesday from Rome, Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II demanded rebels immediately release Vacca Ramirez, denouncing the kidnapping as a "criminal action, in no way justifiable,"
The Vatican (news - web sites) said it was particularly "reprehensible" that a bishop sent to work among the poor was being blocked from performing his mission.
Two priests and a local mayor with Vacca Ramirez at the time of the abduction said the rebels told them they wanted to give the bishop a message to deliver to authorities before setting him free.
"We were detained on Saturday by men in uniform who said they were from the ELN," the mayor of Nunchia, Jose del Carmen Galvis, told local radio. "They told us to wait because they needed the bishop, and on Sunday morning, two others came and carried him up into the mountains."
Vacca Ramirez has been involved in peace efforts between the government, leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitary groups battling for control of the oil-rich Casanare and Boyaca regions.
Church leaders expressed dismay at the kidnapping, given that the bishop maintained a regular dialogue with the group to try to broker temporary truces or resolve disputes.
"There is no justification for kidnapping in order to deliver a message," said Luis Augusto Castro, the Bishop of Tunja.
"We are hoping it won't last long," added Monsignor Fabian Marulanda, the secretary-general of the Bishop's Conference. "We request and require that Monsignor Misael's life is respected."
The ELN has been waging a 40-year-old war along with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to topple the government and establish a Marxist-style state. The conflict claims an estimated 3,500 lives every year.
The Catholic church has for years been deeply involved in promoting peace efforts in Colombia, often putting the lives of clergymen at risk. Over the past 20 years, an archbishop, a bishop, at least 50 priests and three nuns have been murdered. Dozens of others have been kidnapped.
Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list
Prayers are on the way! FARC is a terrible terrorist organization.
Prayers for his safe return.
Amen!
Vatican City, July 27. (AP): Pope John Paul II today demanded Marxist Colombian rebels immediately release a Roman Catholic bishop they are holding, denouncing the kidnapping as an unjustifiable "criminal action."
Bishop Misael Vacca Ramirez of Yopal was seized yesterday by members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the smaller of Colombia's two main rebel groups.
Two priests and a local mayor who were with the 48-year-old bishop at the time of the abduction said the rebels told them they wanted to give the bishop a message to deliver to authorities before setting him free.
The Vatican said the pope was deeply concerned by what he described as a "criminal action, in no way justifiable," and called for the bishop's immediate release.
The Vatican said it was particularly "reprehensible" that a bishop sent to work among the poor was being blocked from performing his mission.
The ELN has been waging a 40-year war along with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to topple the government and establish a Marxist-style state. The conflict claims an estimated 3,500 lives every year.
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