VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI condemned the "barbarous assassination" of 11 lawmakers by a rebel group in Colombia.
The Pope made this statement in Italian today when greeting the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym FARC, claimed Thursday that the deputies of Valle del Cauca had been killed in a crossfire with "a unidentified armed group." The lawmakers had been kidnapped and held by the rebel group since 2002.
In a live television broadcast that same day, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe accused the FARC of murdering the lawmakers, in what he called a "crime against humanity."
Benedict said today in a greeting after praying the Angelus: "From Colombia comes the sad news of the barbarous assassination of 11 regional deputies of the department of Valle del Cauca, who were held hostage for more than five years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
"As I pray for them, I unite myself with the deep pain of their families and of the beloved Colombian nation which is once again shaken by fratricidal hate.
"I renew my earnest plea that all kidnapping cease immediately and that those who are victims of such inadmissible forms of violence be returned to the affection of their loved ones."
ZE07070107 - 2007-07-01