Bogota: Hundreds of faithful have converged
on a cathedral in the Colombian capital to see drops of blood
of the late pope John Paul II, who was beatified last year.
The blood, contained in a glass case, was brought to
Colombia from Germany and placed at Bogota's Central Cathedral
on public display.
"Colombian Catholics want to ask John Paul II through his
blood to intervene and make peace possible in the country,"
said Friday Juan Vicente Cordoba, secretary of the
Episcopalian Conference of Colombia.
Pope John Paul II headed the Catholic Church from 1978
until his death in April 2005. He was beatified in May 2011.
Thousands of Colombians have perished in a guerrilla war
launched by leftist rebels in 1964.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 21, 2012, 17:53