As Pope Francis heads to Colombia, he faces a high-wire act

• Pope in Colombia
• September 6, 2017

Pope Francis heads off today for a five-day visit to Colombia, Latin America’s third most populous state and one of its most fervently Catholic countries. The pontiff will have to pull off a delicate balance, strongly endorsing a peace process to end a decades-long armed conflict but keeping some distance from controversial peace deals that Colombian critics believe give too much impunity to rebel groups for the violence.