COLOMBIA SUPPORT NETWORK'S
STATEMENT ON THE KILLING OF MONSENOR ISAIAS DUARTE CANCINO
CSN-Madison, March 17, 2002
We at the Colombia Support Network (CSN) received with shock and immense
sorrow the news that the Archbishop of Cali, Monsignor Isaias Duarte
Cancino, was assassinated at the door of the parish of the Good Shepard
in a poor neighborhood in Cali, coming out from celebrating mass on
Saturday, March 16.
Monsignor Duarte was a very fair and generous church leader. He was
fundamentally important in helping CSN establish a sister community
relationship with Apartado, where he was the Bishop before going on
to be the Archbishop of Cali. His nobility of spirit and his commitment
to peace were evident to all of us who had the privilege of meeting
with him and working to establish links to promote social justice and
peace in the region of Apartado. He was respectful and supportive of
all who sought peace and justice, from the Patriotic Union administrators
of the early 1990's through the mayoral administration of Gloria Cuartas,
to the international presence which CSN and others brought to Apartado.
He continued actively to seek peace with justice and spoke out for honesty
and the rule of law in his years as Archbishop of Cali. Always a friend
and supporter of our organization, he will be greatly missed. CSN expresses
our sincere condolences to his parishioners in Cali, to the Colombian
Catholic Church, to the Colombian Bishops Conference, and to those to
whom his efforts and his support meant so much in the search for peace
and justice in Apartado. We call upon the Colombian government to investigate
this horrible crime and bring to justice the persons who were responsible
for Archbishop Duartes' assassination.
News reports of the attack upon Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino have
noted that a priest at the parish which Monsignor Duarte was to visit
on the evening of March 16 called the Cali police that afternoon requesting
protective services in response to unusual movements or persons noted
in the area that day. The Cali police reportedly ignored this request
and sent no one to investigate or provide protection to the Archbishop,
whose murder likely would have been prevented if the police had provided
the requested assistance.
We at Colombia Support Network call upon the commander of the Colombian
National Police, General Luis Ernesto Gilibert, to investigate this
failure to respond and report to the public, including those of us from
the international communiy who knew and greatly respected Archbishop
Duarte, why the police did not respond and where responsibility for
this failure lies. We also call upon President Pastrana to demand an
explanation for this grievous failure to provide protection to one of
his country’s most distinguished citizens.
JOHN I. LAUN
For the Board of Directors of the
Colombia Support Netwok