"I discovered the Virgin in the Jungle"

How did the desire to meet the Pope arise in you, and why was it so important for you?
And this meeting, finally. How was it, beyond the thrill that it is for every Catholic to meet the Pope?

"It's a dream of all Christians. Meeting the Pope is something that we all dream. To take his hand, have some contact with this man so close to God for us it is like a descendant of the apostles… there is something magical, wonderful. We have two thousand years of tradition. Knowing that there are two thousand uninterrupted years of people who have passed the flame from Christ until today… this to begin with. And then it fascinated me, something extraordinary happened. I had walked ten hours nonstop carrying a very heavy sack, hungry, thirsty, there were mosquitoes… in short, all the horrors that make a torture out of life, the fact that there is torture. We established a camp, I had my hammock and the mosquito net and I fled there to spend the night.
And peace and the ability to breathe a little, yet with anguish of all kinds, not knowing where we were, and sadness at being warned we would stay longer and not knowing when it would end… then to turn on the radio and hear the voice of the Holy Father who called for the release of those kidnapped Colombians, and using my name. How can you explain what that felt like… for someone who had become a commodity, something that is traded without even basic rights, constantly humiliated, and realizing, every time I speak of this I can not help but weep, I know evil. The fact that the Holy Father knew I existed, he knew my name, and I was someone for him, gave me back my humanity.”

First there is this dimension of meeting someone who has supported you during such a horror. And then to be able to share with him everything that a Catholic wonders. In the jungle, reading the Bible, I posed a lot of questions, and theological issues of our Christian faith, and our denominations. How can I say it…. I was sad to think that there are so many Christian brothers and sisters who do not know the Virgin. I discovered the Virgin in the jungle, reading the Gospels. She showed herself to me as a being of light, as a woman. For me, she always had been that young woman who had the opportunity to become the mother of God. But I did not see beyond this. Yes, that was a good, gentle start. But reading the Gospels, I understood the dimension of this woman, her character, her courage, her intelligence to speak to her Son. I understood these dimensions and I realized that I could speak to her because she knew how to understand me. Then I started to have a more intimate relationship with Mary, because I did not dare to talk with Jesus, I felt that it was too… too far, too high, He is perfect, He is God. But on the other hand, the Virgin was someone I saw as part of the human family, someone I could relate to. Then I thought that there are people who do not understand what she can do for all of us, this bridge, not only for going to tell Jesus what we would like or to help with things, prayers or needs. We all have needs, financial, relational, with work, study… all this we can express, and Jesus hears us. But suddenly, to find this woman who not only listens but also responds ... Perhaps to tell us: Be at peace! Be more patient, don’t carry a grudge in your heart. Learn to speak with Him directly… Learn that you can talk to Him directly, you do not need me to speak to Him..
Finally, I will say this, because we could continue for hours: God does things right, God makes things right."