Pope Francis tries to unite Colombians

Pope Francis met today with Colombia’s president and his main political opponent, hoping to intervene and seal an accord to end Latin America’s longest-running conflict. Following the 25-minute meeting, neither President Juan Manuel Santos nor his predecessor, Alvaro Uribe, showed any sign of putting aside their differences. Santos had planned to meet with the Pope as part of a European tour after accepting this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. At the last minute, the Vatican also invited Uribe, who is leading a campaign against efforts by Santos to sign a peace deal with leftist rebels. The three men met in Francis’ private study.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.