Church serving the people

Mgr. Hector Fabio Henao (left) director of the Social Department of the Bishop's Conference in Colombia, at the launch of the national Stations of the Cross [Annie Bungeroth]

Mgr. Hector Fabio Henao is director of the Social Department of the Bishop's Conference. He outlines why the church has the right to be involved in the struggle for peace

Colombia is one of most Catholic nations in Latin America, with around 90 per cent of the population considering themselves to be Catholic.

Mgr Henao is based in the headquarters of the Church’s social action department in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. People visit him there to discuss their situation and he visits areas where there are problems.

He also receives phone calls from all over the country giving him details of the conflict, or possibilities for dialogue, and asking for advice.

“In recent decades the church has been working very hard with people in the shanty towns, in very poor conditions. The people feel that the Catholic Church has the right to speak because it has testimonies, it has suffered with the people.

“It has achieved the right to be involved in justice and peace because it is really committed in that,” he adds.“When people are forced to move from their homes and communities, they go to Catholic parishes for advice and help. They go to the church because they feel it is open and they will be secure there. It reaches right to the grassroots.

“Pope John Paul II called for us to continue to work for peace and reconciliation in our country. He was very close to the suffering even though he was from Poland. He had a very clear idea of what the church must do.

“The problem is how to persuade European countries that peace and reconciliation is possible. It feels very far away – drugs and violence fuel the problem. We need to work more with the EU – for example, to have more visitors from the EU and who have a clear idea of what’s going on here.

“When the new Pope was elected he took the name Pope Benedict XVI because he was very concerned about peace issues, and Benedict XV had been concerned with peace in Europe.

“It was very good for people in Colombia to hear this because, for us peace is the main issue. The people support the idea we need more security. But in the minds of the people, security must lead to peace.”

The art of living dangerously

Mgr Henao comes from Medellín. Ten years ago, as a result of threats from the Medellín mafias, he had to take refuge in Europe for six months in Europe.

“Always when you are working in Colombia on human rights or peace issues you must be very careful. But I don’t have a bodyguard,” he says.

“Some bishops do, but it’s complicated. You don’t know who they are. Sometimes you don’t feel free going to visit the communities with armed guards. It makes it too complicated to go about your normal activities.

“Very often I must visit people in rural areas, shanty towns, people suffering too much… If I arrive with bodyguards that would be a scandal for them…the people waiting for a priest and someone arrives with a bodyguard.

“Sometimes I travel with a local priest, someone well known. Usually that’s enough because people know them. “This August the calls brought the news that three priests had been murdered.

“It is important to be able to listen to the people, to feel with them, to really try to walk with them. I try and spend a little bit of time with them every day”, he says.

“As a priest I have the opportunity to help in spiritual issues but also to support those who are suffering.”

European connections

Connections with Europe have been important in strengthening civil society in discussions with government and trying to build consensus. The European Union has tried to link development programmes with work for peace.

The most important of these “peace laboratories” is headed by a Jesuit, Fr Francisco de Roux, in the Magdalena Medio region.

“It is also important for Colombians to learn from others involved in peace negotiating,” says Henao. “Two new peace laboratories have been set up with the help of the EU. This is a sign of hope.”

In May 2005 the Church social action department held its latest Reconciliation Congress: they take place every two years. It brings people from all over the country to discuss links between Justice and Peace and reconciliation.

This year 1,000 people attended. They discussed legal justice; human rights, economic social and cultural rights; impunity, victims and the law; and rural areas, land and property. There is need for a legal framework for the victims to be invited to the negotiations.

Among the speakers was an Irish expert with experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

“It is important to learn more about other conflicts and how to solve situations,” says Henao “Inviting someone from Ireland was very important. They have tried several times to achieve peace. It is important to learn that we may not succeed at first.

“I am not optimistic but I have hope. I hope because I think the people are able to bring something new, they have the courage and values to build something better than we have today.

“A just peace is not just about us, the government, the guerrillas, but has to involve the whole community to build a society of equality to avoid war starting again.”

The Social Department of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference

Set up in 1977 to co-ordinate the church’s activities in the social sphere, including health services and displaced people. It has also brought the Colombian Church into a deeper engagement with the conflict through programmes on human rights, peace and reconciliation.

CAFOD supports its annual campaign for peace and reconciliation which promotes reflection on the conflict in the light of Catholic Social Teaching, International Humanitarian Law and methods of non-violent conflict resolution. It operates in a different region of Colombia each year, and works through workshops and public activities to win support for alternatives to violence.

CAFOD also supports the department’s regional programme, especially in areas where the government offensive against the guerrillas is concentrated, causing severe hardship for civilians.

The Social Department also gets international support through the Colombia Working Group of Caritas Internationalis, which co-ordinates financial support and provides an international platform for the Colombian Church’s conflict resolution programme.

In September each year, the group joins the Colombian Church and other groups in supporting a week of prayer, study and action for peace. CAFOD is part of the international Caritas campaign Peace is possible in Colombia.

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