Colombian bishop calls for release of hostages after two women freed

Published: 2008-01-15

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) -- A Colombian bishop has called for the release of hundreds of hostages held by guerrillas after the recent release of two women. The liberation results from "a moral obligation to return (the kidnap victims), because the liberation is not requested as a favor, but as a moral obligation," said retired Bishop Fabian Marulanda Lopez of Florencia, secretary-general of the Colombian bishops' conference. The two hostages -- Clara Rojas, a vice presidential candidate kidnapped in 2002, and Consuelo Gonzalez, a Colombian senator kidnapped in 2001 -- were released Jan. 10 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, know by its Spanish acronym, FARC. They were released to representatives of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Red Cross. Most of the FARC's hostages are being held for ransom, but about 50 are high-value political hostages whom the guerrillas want to exchange for imprisoned guerrillas. The rebels, who have been fighting for four decades to topple Colombia's governments, are considered terrorists by the United States and the European Union.

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