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Pope to visit Colombia next year


President Santos with Pope Francis

President Santos with Pope Francis

The President of Colombia has announced that the Pope will visit the country early in 2017.

"His visit is a great honour for us," said Juan Manuel Santos, who on Monday signed a peace treaty to end Colombia's 52-year civil war with Timochenko, leader of the Marxist rebel group, the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia.

The Pope is expected to visit for four days at some point between January and March. John Paul II visited Colombia in 1986. On Sunday, the people of Colombia will vote to ratify the peace treaty.

Message for Argentina

The Pope has sent a video message to the people of Argentina, regretting he is unable to visit either this year or next due to planned visits to Asia and Africa.

In the message, the Pope revealed that he still travels with an Argentine passport. He said he felt close to the Argentine people through the many letters he receives which inspire him to pray for them during the Mass.

He described Argentina's greatest treasure as its people, urging them to take hold of their country, and commit to helping it through building a culture of encounter, in which all could live with dignity and "express themselves peacefully without being insulted, condemned, attacked or cast aside."

Finally, saying he was leaving them a little homework for the Year of Mercy, the Pope listed the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy and asked them to select a work from the list and put it into action every day or every other day.

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