Family and friends of Father Brendan Forde are holding a vigil outside the US embassy in Dublin this evening to highlight the danger faced by his community in north-west Colombia.
Father Forde's life has been threatened by armed militias who have carried out a series of massacres in the area. The paramilitaries have been targeting communities that have remained neutral in the fighting between the guerrillas and the government.
Ms Barbara Forde, the Franciscan missionary's sister, has urged the public to turn up at the protest at 6 p.m. E radio yesterday. "Just for a moment, I'm asking the Irish people to forget about the Celtic Tiger. Forget about the visit to the gym; just forget about hairdressers. Just please, please try and save the lives of my brother and the communities in Colombia that he is ministering to," she said on RTE radio yesterday.
According to Ms Forde, 22 people were killed in another armed massacre over the weekend in the Uraba region. Last month six villagers were randomly selected and killed.
"They separated the women and children from the men. They took out the men between 25 and 40, and they shot them. And they left the bodies on the village green," Ms Forde said.
"Brendan was in another village at the time. He came back and found the bodies. Now these guys in military uniforms and balaclavas said: `If you don't get out of here, we're coming back and we are going to finish the rest of you off.' And that includes Brendan."
She said her brother would not leave, because he had been asked by the villagers to stay and he felt he was a protection for them.
Ms Forde urged people to write to the Department of Foreign Affairs, asking what efforts were being made to ensure the safety of Colombian communities. She also urged them to contact the US embassy and MEPs.
