Pastors, Church Leaders Target of Violence in Colombia

By Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Pastors and church leaders in Colombia are the target of violence, kidnaps, and assassination attempts, according to a report released this month.

The report titled A Prophetic Call by Justapaz and the Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace (CRVP) – an arm of the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches and a partner of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) - details for the first time the extent of religious freedom violations in Colombia.

The project is the first of its kind in Colombia and hopes to document the severe violations of religious liberty and human rights abuses against members of Colombian churches.

“As the project continues…we hope that the true scale of attacks against Christians will become apparent. We are honored to be a part of this project and to stand with these volunteers across the country who are participating in documenting these cases, often at great personal risk,” said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas in a released statement.

“It is easy to become overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation in Colombia and this work is vital in helping both Colombians and citizens of other countries to better understand the specific situation of the Colombian Church, both in terms of its suffering and also in the efforts it is making to bring about positive and lasting transformation in that country,” he added.

The report documented at least six cases of target assassinations of pastors or church leaders, the kidnapping or forced disappearances of at least three others, and the attempted assassination of a pastor that left more than 70 bullets in his body, according to CSW.

“Unfortunately, we are not surprised by the numbers in this report. If anything we believe that they represent only a small proportion of violations of religious freedom in Colombia,” said Thomas.

Other cases of violence against Christians in the report include two violent attacks during church service that resulted in four deaths and 14 worshippers wounded. Violence against believers are committed by all who are involved in the armed conflict including leftist guerrillas, far right paramilitaries and even members of Colombia security forces, according to CSW.