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PHOTOS | Peace advocates, educators call for Pope to stand for peace, justice in PH


[cycloneslider id=”on-eve-of-pope-visit”] Peace advocates, human rights activists, as well as teachers and education workers, have upped the ante in calling on Pope Francis to speak about the peace situation in the country on the eve of the state and pastoral visit of the leader Roman Catholic Church on January 15. At the Bell of Peace at […]

[cycloneslider id=”on-eve-of-pope-visit”]

PW-POPE-FRANCIS-SA-PINAS-iconPeace advocates, human rights activists, as well as teachers and education workers, have upped the ante in calling on Pope Francis to speak about the peace situation in the country on the eve of the state and pastoral visit of the leader Roman Catholic Church on January 15.

At the Bell of Peace at the Quezon Memorial Circle, groups under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers called on the Pope to “stand and struggle with them for just and lasting peace.” Specifically, they called on Pope Francis to speak in behalf of detained peace consultants and all political prisoners, who languish in Philippine government jails despite the political nature of their “offenses”.

They also called on the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Political prisoners from different government jails have also launched a fast to call on the Pope for support in their campaign for freedom and for the resumption of the peace talks.

As of writing, there are 491 political prisoners, 12 of whom are peace consultants of the NDFP. The Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig), signed both by the NDFP and GPH, states that all peace consultants of the NDFP are free from arrest by the agents of the state in order for them to fulfill their tasks as consultants.

Pope Francis is set to arrive today, January 15, 2015, for his official state and pastoral visit in the country making him the third leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit the Philippines.