From the Vatican

Wearing his dark green uniform, Jose Libardo Forero openly admits he still gets scared whenever an airplane passes by. His heart still jumps whenever it rains. The slightest noise makes him uneasy. It’s nightime that’s the worst, he says. That’s when all the flashbacks come to life: the threats, illnesses and utter desperation. For almost 14 years, he was held captive in a remote Colombian jungle. That’s where FARC rebels restrained him, literally in chains, for over a decade.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” he explains. “Other kidnapping victims developed serious psychological disorders. They went crazy.”

Five other kidnapping victims, sitting next to him, simply nod in agreement. Just two months after being freed on April 2012, these police and military officers are trying to reclaim their lives and make amends with their stolen freedom. As part of that healing process, they decided to travel to Rome, to personally meet Pope Benedict XVI.

“It was a goal I set for myself, while I was held captive,” remembers Luis Alfredo Moreno, a Colombian military officer. “I said to myself, I will meet the Pope and I won’t lose faith or hope.’”

Moreno says he would close his eyes and imagine himself meeting the Pope. But eventually the sounds of the jungle and the heaviness of the chains around his body would make him open his eyes and face reality. The group would keep busy by doing random manual work. More than something to pass time, it was something to keep them sane.
“I lost everything,” says Jorge Trujillo. “I lost touch with my family, I lost my home….my life.”

They were kidnapped in the late 90’s and early 2000’s as they attempted to take on the FARC rebels in Colombia’s Puerto Rico region in Meta. Even though they weren’t all kidnapped at the same time, together they were held captive for over ten years.

“We lost our ammunition, our weapons were damaged,” adds Trujillo. “Eventually we were kidnapped.”

It was often difficult to keep hope alive. But one day, through the radio, they heard the Pope praying for them and calling for their release and that of all kidnapped victims in Colombia. After hearing those words, they say they developed a new type of hope. But as days continued to pass, they were still held captive. Days and months eventually turned into more years.

“I’m not going to lie,” says military officer Robinson Salcedo. “There were moments of desperation where you don’t want to keep on going. But that’s when you have to keep your head held up high. For me, that’s when I would put my faith in God.” He then pauses, as if giving himself time to analyze what he just said. He then adds “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Their situation is one that echos over several parts of Latin America. Kidnappings, once limited for movie scripts or novels, slowly morphed into a real threat in the continent. Be it for political favors or money, kidnappers have turned the crime into a powerful weapon.

“They cannot continue to use kidnappings as a weapon,” says Colombia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Cesar Mauricio Velasquez. “Keeping someone captive is the opposite of what human life is all about. These terrorist groups have no credibility. It’s not about being from the political left or the right. They are all criminals. They have all given in to the financial gains of drug trafficking. This isn’t just about Colombia. I’m talking about all the kidnapped people all over Latin America, all over the world.”

After years of negotiations, the group was freed by the FARC rebels. The nightmare was over, but what lies ahead isn’t easy.

“I didn’t recognize my children when I saw them,” says Forero. They’re adults now, but last time I saw them, they were still kids. They didn’t recognize me either, when it comes down to it, they don’t know me.”

Once freed, the officers were reinstated in their respective jobs in the police department and military. Even though they now have the uniform and title, they admit that basically they have desk jobs.

“There are so many new laws, rules and procedures that are completely new to us,” says Forero. “We were isolated for so many years. We have to get up to speed and physiologically we have to be healthy as well.”

Part of that healing came when the group met the Pope at the Vatican. Each one of them personally shook his hand, thanking him for bringing international attention to their cause. With them, they brought something from that remote Colombian jungle where they suffered for so many years.

“I would keep busy with different crafts. When I heard the Pope praying for us on the radio, I decided to make him a flag,” says Moreno. “It was a way for me to thank him and a way for me to keep the hope alive.”

After so many years, they got the chance to personally hand that gift to the Pope. With thousands of people looking on in St. Peter’s Square, they went up the stairs, wearing their uniforms and walked towards the Pope. On the flag were the words ‘Long Live Freedom.’

“Even after suffering so much, after being held 14, 13, 12 years, in chains, they have now greeted the Pope, as free men. They’ve healed their hearts and their minds,” said ambassador Velasquez. “They want to forgive their kidnappers and remake their lives.”

After handing the flag to the Pope, Moreno says, the experience is hard to put into words. “It was hope that kept me going all these years. It was the love I have for my family, my country, my faith. It was my love for life….and freedom.”