President Petro claims he proposed to Pope Leo XIV that the Vatican host talks with the ELN.

In a video statement, President Gustavo Petro revealed details of his private meeting with Leo XIV. He stated that he presented three points to the religious leader: assistance with the migration issue, participation in talks with the ELN, and an invitation to visit Colombia.

According to Petro, there was more listening than dialogue on the part of the Supreme Pontiff, as "he is more in his early stages." The Colombian president asserted that he understands this attitude, as it is difficult to be in the first few days of adapting to "those cold palaces."

Regarding the first topic he presented, Petro reportedly emphasized " migration and the climate crisis." According to the president, "what I raised is that they are killing their children." The Colombian president emphasized his thesis that migration will worsen due to climate change.

"It represents a leap forward in life. What we have are classes that consume a lot of CO2. Responsible for the possible extinction of humanity," commented Petro, who asserted that he told the Pope that the theory that some will be saved by leaving the planet is a myth, "what matters is a common effort of humanity, which was my invitation to Pope Leo XIV."

At this point, he would have reminded him of the papal encyclical Laudato Si, written by his predecessor, Pope Francis. It emphasizes environmental protection. He then returned to the thesis of racism that some countries have put forward in their approach to migration.

The second issue would have been the possible resumption of talks with the ELN. "The second issue is that the ELN has just committed a massacre, has forgotten its revolutionary principles, and that Catholic priests led its ranks," the Colombian president stated, adding: "They are killing the poor, just because they exchanged the banners of change and transformation for those of Mexican drug traffickers."

Along those lines, he asserted that, despite the harshness of his words, there is a second chance. Although he expressed his gratitude for the role played by Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico as hosts of the talks, he noted that he had raised the possibility of the Vatican hosting the resumption of the talks.

"I believe this is where we can recall the theory of effective love," Petro noted, adding: "How could the Vatican be the headquarters of the new peace talks, under the belief that the spirit of effective love will cover greed and lead us to peace?"

Finally, he extended an invitation to the Pope to visit Colombia: "I want to invite him to Santa Marta, what the Mamos call the heart of the world, and also to Chiribiquete Park, where millennia of jungle life are epitomized." According to Petro, he raised the possibility of linking this visit with his upcoming visit to Peru.

Juan Sebastian Lombo Delgado