Colombian rebels ban celebration of Mass

November 27, 2013

FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the Marxist rebel group that has fought the Colombian government for five decades, has limited access to the sacraments in the southwestern department (state) of Putumayo, the Fides news agency reported.

Bishop Luis Alberto Parra Mora of Mocoa-Sibundoy said that FARC banned the celebration of Mass but now is permitting Mass to be said on Saturdays and Sundays in two towns.

Father Pedro Mercado, deputy secretary of the Colombian bishops’ conference, said that the rebels’ anti-Catholic hostility has increased in recent months.

“We view with concern the security issues of our priests and our bishops, who are denied the freedom to preach the Word of God,” he said.

 

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Further information:

• FARC "authorize" the opening of churches in the south of the country, but only on Sundays (Fides)