Religion- Colombian Drug Trade- Maciek

Though Colombia is not atheist or agnostic, the Colombian constitution states that the country has no official church or religion. Most Colombians are Roman Catholic, because that was the country's official religion before the adoption of the constitution in 1991. In Colombia, the country does not require students to learn religion in the public schools, but the church and the government have an agreement to provide education in rural areas that do not have public education. (Compassion)
The drug trade and the violence that comes along with it are still growing in Colombia. The church sees this as a horrible crisis, and want to help. The problem is, any church or community leaders that speak up against the violence committed by the armed groups, become victims of disappearances and killings.
The World Council of Churches believes that the government of Colombia, needs to step up and do something about these killings and crimes committed against the country's people. During the United Nations Advocacy Week, held in 2009, Colombian church leaders and ecumenical partners discussed deeply the possible ways of stopping this drug related violence. What they came up with was ways to accompany the churches and the people of Colombia in their struggles.(World Council)
A statement made by the WCC describes what the reason for the drug violence is. They said, “for the Colombian Churches and other civil society organizations, the root of the conflict does not lie in the drug-trafficking or in the violence of the armed guerrilla movements (though these too are to be held to account), but in the long history of social injustice, the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of the few, competition for control of potentially rich oil fields and a social structure built on the pillars of exclusion, inequalities and impunity”. (World Council)
The WCC also came up with ways for church leaders as well as regular people to help in stopping this drug related violence and trade going on in  Colombia. Here are some of the ideas they came up with.
1. Religious leaders in Colombia should continue their efforts in promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the disarming of the paramilitary and the restoration of the rule of law;
2.Prayers and actions of concrete solidarity and exploration of possibilities for accompaniment programmes to support the churches and people in their peace work;
3.Churches should advocate for the full respect of the human rights of Colombian citizens and to support actions aimed at putting an end to impunity, such as the preliminary investigation in Colombia that was launched by the International Criminal Court ;
4.The churches in the United States of America should press their government for an immediate cessation of “Plan Colombia”, and for foreign assistance to Colombia to be redirected from military to humanitarian purposes and for a renewed emphasis on strengthening respect for human rights in the country; (World Council)
By taking these steps, the church, through Social Catholic Teaching, tries to help with this drug situation. Although, the church doesn't have much power over the Colombian people, they can still try and get the attention of the believing citizens, and try to get them to spread the message. Getting other countries like the United States involved is another good idea, although the U.S already spends billions on aiding the drug trafficing surveillance. Without the Colombian government stepping up, external help won't be of much use. That's why the churches should try and negotiate with the government officials to try and end all this murder, kidnapping, and destruction. 


"Minute on Violence in Colombia." World Council of Churches. 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 12 May 2012. <http://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/executive-committee/bossey-february-2010/minute-on-violence-on-colombia.html>.


Colombia Facts." Colombia Facts. Web. 12 May 2012. <http://www.compassion.com/about/where/colombia.htm>.