The Catholic Church becomes the key player in the solution to the Colombian conflict.

Priests and bishops are proof that the Catholic Church is more committed than even to change in the political and social reality of the country. The humanitarian role of the church is so crucial that any peace effort involving rehabilitation of or reparation towards victims can only be carried out with its involvement.

Monsignor Luis Augusto Castro took the initiative by proposing "talks about talks" to be held abroad in order to find a political solution. Monsignor Castro had described as " cruel" the claim made by President Uribe that peace would be achieved in the next 11 years.

President Uribe, during an unexpected visit to the Bishops' Conference, gave permission to the Churchman to begin contacts with the rebels in order to organise talks in advance. Some shrewd observers fear that this reaction of the President is a challenge towards the Catholic Church because the issues that separate the government and the rebels are still deadlocked. The more optimistic believe that Monsignor Castro will be able to give fresh impetus to advance the situation.

Monsignor Castro has unique qualities: "A tremendous training in philosophy, a capacity to initiate and a pragmatic mind", was the opinion of one director in Cajun who was educated with him. Monsignor Castro spent 30 years ministering in the forests of Calguan and had contacts with the rebels there. He saw many of the current rebel leaders grow up and played an important role in 1997 when the FARC liberated 70 soldiers and 9 Marine cadets held by them. Unlike Uribe, Castro is convinced that Colombia is in the middle of an armed conflict for which a solution is needed. His appointment several weeks ago as President of the Conference of Bishops has shown that the Catholic Church generally agrees with this conclusion and that it will play a more active role in the situation. And unlike other times the Church will not just have a role as a messenger or spiritual support but will this time be putting its opinions and proposals on the table. How has this change come about?

A decade ago, due to the initiative of Monsignor Pedro Rubiano, the National Commission for Reconciliation was set up by members of the Catholic Church and by leaders of different political tendencies. The role of the commission was crucial in getting close to the rebel group ELN. The first meeting with this group was held in a convent in Germany, thanks to the good offices of the Colombian Church. And although the talks with this group finished badly, the church never gave up trying even when matters deteriorated. "They have just killed two priests and the Church is giving them a peace offering ", stated Augusto Ramirez Ocampo, a member of the Commission for Reconciliation referring to the murder of Jesus Emilio Mora and Vicente Rosso in the North of Santander, on 15 August of this year. ELN has already received forgiveness for this from the Church.

In negotiations with AUC, Monsignor Julio César Vidal played a particular role in order to prevent paramilitary leaders leaving talks at crucial moments.

Dealing with FARC down through the years, not only Monsignor Castro but also Father Dario Echeverry, facilitated the freeing of those kidnapped, crossed mountains and rivers, sent letters and emails to look at a possibility of a humanitarian agreement with FARC.

Their task is not always understood. Many priests working in zones controlled by rebels have been kidnapped such as Bishop Leonardo Serna Alzate of El Libano (Tolima) or Ricardo Cantalapiedra, presently chaplain to President Uribe. Those who worked in zones controlled by AUC were often attacked by paramilitaries. Due to such misunderstandings some thirty-three priests have been killed in the last five years in the country.

In any case the vast majority of missions carried out by the Church involving armed groups have had humanitarian objectives. Its record in this regard is without equal. The Church was responsible for the freeing of seven foreigners kidnapped in December 2003 by ELN in Sierra Nevada. The Church was also involved in situations in Caqueta and Putumayo. In the latter area the Church remained to assist in the face of a humanitarian crisis when the TV cameras had departed and the country had let the crisis sink into oblivion.

The Social and Pastoral Church has one of the greatest statistical data on the displaced and an aid program that combines urgent help with the social and psychological treatment of victims.

The presence of the Church in areas of conflict and its experience in bringing aid to victims has been so vast that today it is unlikely that rehabilitation of victims of AUC - following the Justice and Peace Law - will be implemented without the Church that knows like no one else the problems in the regions. That was evident in the Diocese of Quibdó where it criticised the stealing by paramilitaries of lands belonging to the communities of Choco. Finally four months ago the country was surprised when the Bishops of Quibdó and Arpartado as well as a priest from Urabá demanded an enquiry into activities of some army groups who had been involved with paramilitaries in blocking provision of food and transport to communities who had taken refuge in the forests because of the war. Army management immediately declared it would investigate these claims but no official report has been released. The Church however continues its hazardous work in bringing provisions to about 50 communities that have declared themselves neutral and have provided humanitarian corridors where those using violence are not allowed. Perhaps the best-known experience of civil resistance was that of the inhabitants of Toribió, Cauca. There too the role of the Italian priest Antonio Bonanomi from Consolata has been of huge importance.

But for the Church today, perhaps, social change is even more important than achieving peace. "We are not talking about the poor but the marginalized", declared Monsignor Héctor Fabio Hainaut, director of the Social and Pastoral Service.

The Conference of Bishops criticised harshly injustice and in particular the concentration of lands and the neglect in which the country people are left. Responding to this situation, the conference started to support the "Development and Peace " Programmes, initiatives in agricultural production and business networks that really increase family incomes, with a strong environment content, a civic education and preparation in management and democracy. The best known of these is that of the Magdalena Medio directed by the Jesuit priest Francisco de Roux. His success has made this programme the private project receiving the greatest amount of EU funding worldwide. Nine other similar projects exist and three peace 'laboratories' that receive a huge percentage of International Cooperation. All these are in zones badly affected by the war such as the areas of Montes de Maria, the Meta and East Antioquia.

This peaceful revolution of the clergy seems to have buried the Catholic Church of old where bishops smelling of incense preached from their altars about matters both divine and human and only marginally concerned about charity and morals. But this revolution has also divided priests who had backed the war. Such as Francisco Antonio Medina, the "priest" of the FARC who was arrested this week in Brazil.

Nowadays the vast majority of the Church is backing a peaceful solution. Today the Church is "barefoot" and with its blood has paid a very heavy price for having concerned itself with such earthly matters as war and hunger. But it appears that this tendency will not disappear and that the basis of its pastoral role is of such a magnitude that any attempt at reconciliation, rehabilitation or reparation for victims will not happen without the involvement of the Church.