Archbishop Dario de Jesus Monsalve Meijia of Cali, Colombia, has
revealed that he has received death threats because of his involvement
in efforts to broker a peace agreement between the country’s government
and FARC rebels.
The archbishop told reporters that leaflets had been delivered to his
residence, promising “death to FARC” and to “Communist clergy.”
He said
that if such threats prevail, “soon it will be impossible to say the
word ‘peace,’ let alone reach or even get close to groups in order to
continue the path of dialogue.”
The archbishop said that although he reported the threats to
police, he did not fear for his life.
He insisted that political leaders
must overcome threats and intimidation to finalize a peace accord.