Colombian bishops prep presidential candidates on working for common good

Catholic bishops in Colombia are advocating with presidential candidates to work for the common good, pursue integral human development and strengthen democratic institutions.

A delegation from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) recently met with the eight candidates for the presidency. 

Presidential elections will be held in Colombia on May 29. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a second round of voting will be held on June 19. 

Incumbent president Iván Duque is ineligible for a second term as the Colombian Constitution bars the president from seeking a second consecutive term. 

Legislative elections were already held on March 13.

At a crucial moment in the nation's history, characterized by serious social problems, the Colombian bishops called for the "strengthening of the democratic system and a common commitment to the integral development of the entire population", said Msgr Héctor Fabio Henao Gaviria, delegate of the CEC commission for relations between Church and State.

Work for a Colombia in peace and reconciliation 

Msgr Henao highlighted four aspects arising from the dialogue with the candidates, according to Fides.  

The first of these is that "citizens are invited to exercise the right to vote in a conscious, free and informed manner, supporting proposals that seek the common good, respect for human rights and aim for unity".  

Then, it is necessary to "strengthen a democratic environment, guided by respect for political proposals and the rejection of incitement to hatred, revenge and intolerance" he said.

The CEC official also noted the importance of social dialogue as a means of managing conflicts. 

"The word is the fundamental tool of politics, as a resource for establishing what suits citizens, and as a vector of dialogue and plurality for the development of territories", he said.  

Finally, public officials are called upon to refrain from participating in politics, "because this practice weakens confidence in the guarantees of campaigns and progress towards fair elections, the results of which must correspond to the will of the citizens without any interference", Msgr Henao said.

"What the Church asks in dialogue with the candidates is to ensure that the transition from this government to the next is peaceful and democratic. We want to emphasize that the legitimacy of the institutions and of the State is at stake," he said. 

"The common good, integral development and work for the most needy, must be the engine that pushes us to continue to work for a Colombia in peace and reconciliation, where unity prevails over conflict, understanding that as a society we are in the same boat," Msgr Henao said.

Front-runner Gustavo Petro, a left-wing candidate

The elections for Congress for the period 2022-2026 resulted in the victory of the center-left coalition Pacto Histórico (Historical Pact), which got the majority for the upper and lower houses of the legislature -- winning 31 seats in the House of Representatives and 20 in the Senate. Only 45% of those eligible to vote exercised their right to vote.

Political observers say that it is likely that, for the first time, the presidential race will be won by a left-wing candidate with the front-runner being Gustavo Petro, 62, the former Bogotá mayor. This is his third run for the presidency.

Petro was a member of the M-19, one of the rebel groups that formed in the wake of Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba before entering politics and being elected to Congress in 1991.  

His campaign revolves around fighting inequality and climate change, taxing the rich to pay for anti-poverty programs and ending oil exploration so as to move towards a greener economy.

About 40% of Colombians live below the poverty line and the country has one of the world's largest gaps between rich and poor, according to the World Bank.

Opinion polls show Federico Gutiérrez, of the right-wing coalition “Equipo por Colombia” (Team for Colombia) as being in the second place. Also in the fray for the president is Francia Márquez, a black woman environmental defender.