Colombian Bishop's Visit Highlights Crisis in Choco

"When people are in ruts, God invites us to take risks and move forward."
— Bishop Fidel Leon Cadavid

CRS has been working with the Diocese of Quibdo since 1999 to help the people of Choco, Colombia.

On July 18, Bishop Fidel Leon Cadavid of the Diocese of Quibdo, Colombia, graced Catholic Relief Services Baltimore headquarters with a visit and a message of crisis and courage.

Followed by the celebration of Mass, the Bishop spoke to a group of CRS employees about the grave humanitarian crisis that Colombia faces today. Armed conflict, between guerrilla groups, paramilitary forces and the Colombian army, has displaced more than three million Colombians since 1990 and continues to displace over 290,000 people yearly. This number is second only, to the crisis of displaced people in Sudan, the Bishop said. Colombia is also is plagued by a rapidly growing disparity between the wealthy and the poor that contributes to the nation's instability.

Bishop Cadavid ministers in an area of Colombia called Choco. Choco has a predominantly Afro-Colombian and indigenous population that lives along the river, an area highly coveted for its plentiful natural resources and strategic location. This location has made the population of Choco vulnerable to guerrilla and paramilitary groups, said Bishop Cadavid, who have geopolitical interests in the land and resort to fear tactics and killing. This in turn leads to Colombia's high number of displaced individuals. In 2002, 119 civilians were killed in a church in Bojaya in the Bishop's diocese. The tragedy brought international attention to the dire human rights violations occurring in the region. People are trapped, the Bishop said, victims of their own land.

Bishop Cadavid emphasized the importance of promoting strong local organization within and among communities. Communities in this region would have been long gone, the Bishop said, had they not continuously resisted the horrors of the various armed groups. The Catholic Church in Colombia has a significant role in the denunciation of violence.

"People feel safe and connected when the priest is present," Bishop Cadavid said.

"One of the primary problems facing Colombia today is the inability for people to voice their opinions and resistance," Bishop Cadavid continued. "The person that acts by himself disappears."

Colombia is a country wrought with fear and in many areas where the Church is not present, there is no one standing up to the violence. This bravery on behalf of the Catholic Church in Colombia has cost the lives of 57 Catholic representatives including bishops, priests, nuns and seminarians in the past 15 years, to assassination.

This is why the work of CRS and other humanitarian organizations is urgently needed in regions like Choco, said Bishop Cadavid. Without support and movements of solidarity, the people of Choco will remain fearful victims of violence, silenced by imminent threat.

CRS has been working with the Diocese of Quibdo since 1999 to provide an integrated response to the needs of these communities that includes: humanitarian assistance, support for economic reactivation, community organization and institutional strengthening of local base groups, and training in advocacy, conflict resolution, peace building and human rights.