Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: July 19, 2025
Sadly, on 1 July it was confirmed that the bodies of eight people were discovered in a mass grave, nearly three months after they went missing.
All were involved in social initiatives in the community, while seven of them played a part in church leadership – such as preaching, pastoring, or assisting the pastor. They were each summoned by an illegal armed group in the first week of April and never returned.
We remember them:
Carlos Valero
Isaid Gómez
James Caicedo
Jesús Valero
Maribel Silva
Maryuri Hernández
Nixon Peñalosa
Oscar Hernández
Join us in asking the Holy Spirit to comfort their families. When they tried to find out what had happened, they were warned to stop looking and to ‘consider the case closed’.
We stood alongside them in prayer and called for an urgent investigation from the Colombian government, who were initially slow to respond.
We are grateful that an investigation finally took place, and pray that they will make similar efforts to uncover the truth about countless others who have been forcibly disappeared by criminal groups.
Please pray specifically for a thorough investigation into the disappearance of Father Carlos Saúl Jaimes Guerrero – a Roman Catholic priest who was last seen on 17 June.
The 30-year-old priest was travelling to a nearby stream in the rural area of Viotá Municipality, Cundinamarca Department, but never arrived at his appointment.
His vehicle was later found abandoned – the engine still running – near a waterway in the rural area of La Unión. There were no visible signs of violence, robbery or forced entry. He hasn’t been seen since.
Please pray:
- For the swift and safe return of Father Jaimes Guerrero.
- For a full and co-ordinated investigation into his disappearance, as well as the countless others whose whereabouts remain unknown.
- That the Colombian government will reinstate protections for religious leaders, who are clearly at risk from criminal groups.
- That illegal armed and criminal groups would stop targeting civilians, and would not escape punishment.
- For the families, loved ones and communities who mourn. We think especially of Isaid and Maribel’s two children, aged 4 and 11, and Maryuri’s 5-year-old daughter.