Colombia: Kidnapped child safely reunited with family

Source: Fides News

A five year old boy who was kidnapped in Colombia last week, has been safely reunited with his family. Little Christo Jose Contrera was snatched from his school by two armed men last Wednesday.

The story captured the imagination of the entire country. A humanitarian commission formed by the Catholic Church and the Office of the Ombudsman, helped in the search for the child in the mountains of El Catatumbo and issued an appeal to the kidnappers to release him.

Christo's mother, Diana Aravalo, said: "Thanks to Colombia, God has listened to our prayers. We must have faith because it is always merciful. "

In other cases, the Catholic Church has been involved in the return of seized prisoners. In this case it was not possible to intervene directly because the kidnappers were not known, but Father Jairo Lopez Rama-rez, a priest of the diocese of Oca, offered to dialogue with the kidnappers, and invited rural communities to provide any kind of information they might have. The Colombian army also played a major role in this operation.