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85-478: Camilo Torres may refer to: Camilo Torres Restrepo (1929–1966), liberation theologian, priest and guerrilla member in Colombia during the 1960s Camilo Torres Tenorio (1766–1816), political leader of Colombia's independence struggle against Spain in the 1810s [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with

170-407: A "National Architectural and Cultural Heritage" good. In its interior, it is possible to admire the statue of the founder, Fray Cristóbal de Torres, erected in bronze by Catalan sculptor Renart Dionisio Garcia in 1909. This landmark has been preserved throughout these three centuries almost in its entirety. The Aula Máxima, where the protocolary ceremonies are held, is one of the best art galleries in

255-452: A Catholic Christian communist point of view. He was killed in his first combat engagement when the ELN ambushed a Colombian Military patrol. After his death, Camilo Torres was made an official martyr of the ELN. He is perhaps best known for the quote: "If Jesus were alive today, He would be a guerrillero." Camilo Torres, along with Gustavo Gutiérrez , Helder Camara and Des Wilson , is one of

340-555: A better society, and believed that Catholics should support their efforts: The revolutionaries are so few, and we progressive Catholics are also very few. Historically there was only one mistake the Christian could make: to refuse to act. In 1964, the Cardinal Luis Concha Córdoba informed the national public opinion that no priest could collaborate in the socioeconomic study commission that had been set up to intervene in

425-551: A demonstration by the Frente Unido. On 7 January 1966, Torres announced his incorporation into the ELN . In the guerrilla, Torres was mentored and advised by Jaime Arenas, chosen by Fabio Vásquez, also to keep him away from progressive currents. Shortly before joining the ELN, General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla , leader of the ANAPO, had recommended Torres not to join any guerrilla group, since being

510-536: A detailed place, and they prepared the procedures to hand over the remains to the family. His older brother, doctor Fernando Torres Restrepo, who lived in the United States , was informed about the fate of his brother. In addition, General Álvaro Valencia Tovar himself revealed in an interview to the magazine Semana that the body of Camilo Torres was exhumed three years after his burial, his remains were placed in an urn and transported to Bucaramanga where, through

595-582: A good cook. He died in his first combat experience, when the ELN ambushed a patrol of the National Army . After his death, Camilo Torres became an official martyr of the ELN. Torres died on 15 February 1966 in Patio Cemento , after combat with troops of the Fifth Brigade from Bucaramanga , led by Colonel Álvaro Valencia Tovar, who, ironically years earlier, was his childhood friend. The National Army hid

680-789: A guerrilla line. His decision to resort to armed struggle was taken in the case of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and expressed to Gloria Gaitán , daughter of the assassinated leader, who offered asylum to Torres, who gradually went underground. Despite this, Torres led a peaceful march with his students in Medellín and was arrested with his demonstrators, all university students, and held at the Asociación Sindical Antioqueña. He would later be intercepted in Ventaquemada on his way to Tunja , and in Bogotá he would also be detained after police repression of

765-469: A large following as well as many detractors, especially from the Colombian government and the church itself. Due to the growing pressure to back down from his radical politics, Camilo Torres was persecuted and went into hiding (leaving his job as an academic ) by joining the guerrillas in Colombia. He served as a low-ranking member of the ELN to whom he also provided spiritual assistance and inspiration from

850-580: A mass facing forward and in Spanish, when by then the mass was offered facing backwards and in Latin . Between 8 and 9 June of that year, under pressure from Cardinal Luis Concha Córdoba , after entering, together with other professors, into contradictions with the rector, by honouring at mass the students killed after a demonstration repressed by the National Police and by opposing the expulsion of other students, he

935-605: A member of that body and head of the "Laureanist" group of the Conservative Party. Because of the resonance of this conflict, some conservative bishops wrote to the Cardinal to request his dismissal from the board. Invited to Peru, he gave courses and lectures on the subject of agrarian reform and social change. His view of the Latin American situation is not flattering, as he expresses it in a letter from Lima . He writes: Lima

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1020-407: A new instrument that would bring together the "Non-aligned" in politics; unions, guilds, associations, students and workers, to confront the decadent traditional parties, although for the time being calling for abstentionism. Torres also tried unsuccessfully to act as a mediator between the peasants and the National Army to prevent the attack on the so-called Independent Republic of Marquetalia, which

1105-428: A priest he had no experience in handling weapons to confront the army, so he suggested that he continue in political life since he admired his work with the needy classes, something that Torres disregarded considering the advice as a threat. On joining the ELN, under the nom de guerre of Argemiro , the identity of Torres, who was mistaken for a foreigner, was unknown for the moment within the guerrillas, but his identity

1190-508: A prison, and many of the republic's most notable characters were held imprisoned at the university. Jose Celestino Mutis taught astronomy and mathematics at the university beginning on March 13, 1762. He is buried at the university's chapel. For over five years, from 1762 to 1767, Jose Celestino Mutis was a professor of El Rosario. He taught mathematics and physical and natural sciences, both in Latin. In 1790 after several attempts to consolidate

1275-581: A social studies circle that functioned even after Torres was ordained a priest in 1954 under the direction of Jonatan Gómez. Camilo started social activities in the neighbourhoods surrounding the Conciliar Seminary, which were populated by displaced families from the countryside. In 1955, in order to specialize, Torres travelled to Belgium , to study for a few more years at the Catholic University of Louvain . The first months were very difficult for

1360-569: A song about Camilo titled "Camilo Torres".The song "Cura y Guerrillero" by the Mexican singer-songwriter José de Molina is dedicated to Camilo Torres and other priests who continue to fight for the same ideals. The Camilo Torres Muralist Units, close to the Christian Left party of Chile, worked during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, making murals against the regime, distinguished by their cheerful designs, less abstract than those used by

1445-438: A total change of power structures was needed, as the hitherto structures were responsible for social and economical inequality and poverty: These structures will not change without pressure being exerted by the masses, and that pressure will be violent or nonviolent according to the attitude adopted by the minority governing classes. There is nothing to be afraid of, for in a society which needs structural change, genuine authority

1530-535: A wider public, even including atheists. This also marked the time of his rapid radicalization. Torres argued that the Catholic Church is devoted to charity and fighting social inequality, crediting the Church with introducing revolutionary changes to society such as the abolition of slavery and democratic valorization of the human being. However, he believed that in order to truly realise the concept of Christian charity,

1615-778: Is Stéphanie Lavaux. Political scientist at the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Toulouse, France. DEA (Master) political science with an emphasis in international relations at the University of Social Sciences of Toulouse, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in political science. She was director of the Center for Political and International Studies (CEPI), a research group of the Faculty of Political Science and Government and International Relations between 2002 and 2011. The "Consiliatura" appoints

1700-461: Is earned by revolutionary commitment, and that commitment, for the Christian, should be a commitment out of charity. The moral authority thus gained will give the Christian the right to demand concessions the day the Marxists come to power. He pointed out that the ones who were in the forefront of the fight to change structures were Marxists, and this brought him to the conclusion that collaborating with

1785-610: Is in the Historic Center of Bogotá, separated from the Avenida Jimenez de Quesada by Plazoleta del Rosario and located at 14th Street and Old Town Street, classified by experts as the oldest in the city, thus informing the Teusaquillo Zipa with the urban areas demarcated by the conquerors. The cloister, was built in the colonial era in Spanish seventeenth century architecture style by Fray Cristobal de Torres. It has been declared

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1870-670: Is known as "the Cradle of the Republic". Most faculties reside at the Cloister, the main campus located in the historic-geographical centre of Bogotá. It also included a private all-male traditional primary and secondary school until 2008. Nowadays the institution is based on secular ideas and remains very influential in Colombian culture and public life. At least 28 of Colombia's presidents have been students of this university. It has influenced and participated in very important transitional processes like

1955-537: Is not Peru. There are six million pure Indians who consider the other four million as strangers. I have been very frustrated to be able to establish nothing but a tourist relationship with the Indians. This is the truest and weakest base of the Latin American revolution. Their social situation is appalling. However, the purges continue in Brazil. Those who think are punished. Reaction is beginning to walk all over our continent as if

2040-513: Is ranked as "Very Superior" by the ICFES. The "Consiliatura" is composed by the Rector, who chairs the "Consiliatura", and five members, who are called "Consiliarios". It's the supreme governing body of the University of El Rosario. Besides acting as advisory board to the Rector, it takes care of the university's assets and approves the annual budget of revenues and expenses, among other functions conferred by

2125-685: Is the response of King Philip IV of Spain to the intention of the Archbishop of Santafé, Don Cristobal de Torres, to form the Universidad Colegio mayor nuestra señora del Rosario, following the model of the College Archbishop in Salamanca. Among the most significant documentary series are: real ballots, information and cleaning of nobility of blood, decrees on education, text books and medieval tuition books. The Cloister: this architectural symbol

2210-607: Is therefore necessary to take power away from the privileged minorities to give it to the poor majorities" and that "the Revolution is not only permitted but obligatory for Christians who see in it the only effective and ample way of realising love for all". This is how Camilo Torres justified his decision in 1965 to quit his job as a teacher and priest, and join the guerrilla, more precisely the National Liberation Army (ELN), although he had previously been interested in joining

2295-525: The Colombian National Army to begin the process of searching for and exhuming his remains, in a gesture to accelerate the start of the peace talks with the ELN guerrilla group. Uruguayan singer-songwriter Daniel Viglietti wrote "Cruz de Luz" in 1967, a song about Camilo Torres, which was popularized by Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara . Also the Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Puebla wrote

2380-681: The National Front but considered by Torres an inefficient entity in the face of the needs of the Colombian countryside. In his career as a member of the Board, the episode of the project to set up an Agrarian School in Yopal (Casanare) and the difficulties presented by the then director of INCORA Enrique Peñalosa Camargo (liberal, father of the former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa Londoño ) and Álvaro Gómez Hurtado (conservative, son of former president Laureano Gómez ) stand out. During this period of his life he

2465-498: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) due to his peasant background. I have left the privileges and duties of the clergy, but I have not ceased to be a priest. I believe that I have given myself up to the Revolution out of love of neighbour. I have stopped saying mass to realise this love of neighbour, in the temporal, economic and social fields. When my neighbour has nothing against me, when I have achieved

2550-595: The Americas Church-UCC has founded the Camilo Torres Project in 2009. This project works for social justice and peace for the people of the Washington Heights community. Jorge Camilo Torres Restrepo was born on 3 February 1929 in Bogotá into a well-to-do family of the liberal bourgeoisie. His mother Isabel told him the story of Father Cuco (Juan de la Cruz Gaviria), a liberal businessman who financed

2635-560: The Americas, caught Torres' attention after he returned to Colombia from Europe. In 1965, the Movimiento Revolucionario Libera (MRL) went into decline after its split following the presidential elections of 1962. The 1964 parliamentary elections were marked by an enormous abstention , in which Torres concluded that the traditional parties; Liberal and Conservative , were abandoned by public opinion, so he considered creating

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2720-523: The Belgian university awarded him the degree of sociologist . His doctoral thesis, Una aproximación estadística a la realidad socioeconómica de Bogotá , a pioneering work in urban sociology in Latin America, was published in 1987 under the title La proletarización de Bogotá . In 1959, when he returned to Colombia, he felt compelled to actively support the cause of the poor and the working class. That year he

2805-454: The Board of Directors of INCORA. The Unidad de Acción Rural de Yopal (UARY) was inaugurated on 1 March 1964, after overcoming the bureaucratic obstacles of the Ministry of Agriculture, which allowed him to work at the grassroots with the peasants of the capital of the plains. He combined this with the struggles in the junta, especially with the conservative politician who was a staunch defender of

2890-626: The Bogota priest because of the cold climate, Belgian food and the conditions of the boarding house where he lived with Gustavo; for this reason, at the end of the first semester, he moved with his mother to a flat. With a group of Colombian students at the university, he founded the ECISE (Equipo Colombiano de Investigación Socioeconómica) and came into contact with Christian Democracy, the Christian trade union movement and Algerian resistance groups in Paris . He founded

2975-838: The Bogota, Paris and London sections of ECISE. In 1957 he met Marguerite-Marie 'Guitemie' Olivieri, a Frenchwoman of Corso origin and bourgeois daughter of a doctor like Torres, who was to become his closest friend and secretary, and who by then was living in a poor neighbourhood of Paris, accompanying the pieds noirs in sabotage work against the French regime that was being imposed by force in Algeria. In turn, Torres met Villar Borda again in Berlin and spent holidays in Belgrade where he unsuccessfully wanted to exercise his priesthood, or failing that in Prague . In 1958,

3060-520: The Conciliar Seminary of Bogotá of the Archdiocese of Bogotá (in agreement with his parents to avoid entering the Dominican Seminary of Chiquinquirá which was in poor condition) where he remained for seven years, during which time he began to take an interest in social realities. Poverty and social injustice attracted his attention and, together with his fellow disciple Gustavo Pérez, he created

3145-411: The ELN, Torres participated as a low-ranking member and provided spiritual and ideological assistance from a Catholic socialist point of view. However, his performance as a guerrilla was poor as he was not used to the arduous training (being assisted by a comrade) and to carrying a rifle, so he was barely given a pistol and was emphasised for his role of spiritual and ideological assistance as well as being

3230-537: The Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Vincent Cancino Román was appointed responsible of the Medicine Program. Of his initial disciples only one, the young Juan Bautista Vargas, graduated in 1974, shortly before the death of his preceptor. It then became the first medical school in Colombia. It is the only Colombian university that made an accreditation process, supported by the European Association of Universities. It

3315-660: The Frente Unido del Pueblo; a movement in opposition to the coalition of the traditional parties. Torres went to the home of Marroquín and his partner María Arango to seek contacts with the Communist Party . A meeting with the goal to create a political platform was held, with the participation of the MOEC, the MRL Youth, the JUCO and some student groups from the Universidad de los Andes . However,

3400-502: The Institute of Social Administration of the ESAP began to be strongly criticised for their political bias. Faced with the failure of some intellectuals who had undertaken to write articles and papers for a publication aimed at making the situation of Colombian society visible from the perspective of the social sciences, Camilo drafted a political platform open to debate by different groups of intellectuals, students and workers, in which he proposed

3485-451: The Liceo de Cervantes in 1946 where he met and became friends with Luis Villar Borda and Ricardo Samper. His sister Gerda Westendorp Restrepo, daughter of Isabel Restrepo's first marriage, was a medical student (the first woman in Colombia to pursue a university degree). Her brother Fernando devoted himself to medicine like his father and older half-sister, and settled in the United States . He

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3570-509: The Marxists was a necessity. At the same time, he discussed the Marxist thought in his writings - he criticised vanguardism , attacking Lenin's concept of "the revolution by the elite", insisting that a revolution can only be carried out by ordinary people instead. He regarded Marxist humanism as a product of Christian humanist movement , and argued that Marxist principles stem from Christianity itself. He began to admire socialists for fighting for

3655-553: The Old and New constitutions. The "Consiliarios" are chosen by an electoral body composed by the Rector and the fifteen "Colegiales", for a period of four years with the possibility of an indefinite re-election. The "Consiliatura" has the responsibility to call the election and elect the president ("Rector") among with "Colegiales". Current "Consiliarios" are Andrés Cadena Venegas, Alberto Fergusson Bermúdez, Andrés López Valderrama, Víctor Hugo Malagón Basto and Ann Mason. The current rector of

3740-652: The Ramona Parra Brigade of the Chilean Communist Party. Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Se%C3%B1ora del Rosario University of the Rosary (in Spanish, Universidad del Rosario , and officially Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario ) is a Colombian university founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá , due to its important place in Colombian history, it

3825-401: The Revolution, I will offer mass again, if God allows me to do so. I believe that in this way I follow the command of Christ : "If you bring your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come and present your offering" ( Saint Matthew V, 23-24). In

3910-573: The Royal Decree of 1768 Charles III recognized the institution as a 'College' among with the six halls of Spain, which continued the tradition of the University of Salamanca . Original constitutions of the university, were written by its founder Fray Cristobal de Torres and published by Crístobal de Araque Ponce de León , then Chancellor. The founder established the Calatrava Cross as the symbol of

3995-451: The Síndico' (trustee) for the same period of the rector and may hold office indefinitely. The trustee is responsible for the management of the resources and assets of the university and must submit an annual report to the then Consiliatura. Miguel Francisco Diago Arbeláez is the current 'Síndico'. The mission of the 'Secretaría General' (secretary-general) is to certify the institutional acts of

4080-695: The Universidad del Rosario is Jose Manuel Restrepo Abondano, elected on September 22, 2014. He graduated from the Economics Program of the Rosary, where he also completed the Specialization in Finance. He has a master's degree in economics from London School of Economics, Specialist in Management of Inalde and PhD candidate in management of institutions of higher education at the University of Bath. The vice rector

4165-506: The University to a possible shortlist of three but Torres politely declined the offer for fear of tarnishing his name. In 1964, Concha would later relieve Torres as coadjutor, only admiring Torres as a sociologist, allowing him to become an associate professor in the Faculty of Sociology. He was in turn appointed dean of the Institute of Social Administration of the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP) and promoted to member of

4250-403: The academic staff of the National University of Colombia , he was a co-founder of the Sociology Faculty together with Orlando Fals Borda , as well as some intellectuals such as Eduardo Umaña Luna, María Cristina Salazar, Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda , Carlos Escalante, Darío Botero and Tomás Ducay, in 1960. His involvement in several student and political movements during the time won him

4335-403: The body in a strategic location separate from the other mass graves and the location was not revealed to the public. A symbolic funeral was held in the church of San Diego and a symbolic burial was held. A mass was also held in the grounds of the National University. Shortly after Torres's death, 'Guitemie' Olivieri, despite being linked to the ELN, was persecuted by the Colombian authorities and

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4420-445: The case of Marquetalia, Tolima; this commission, of which Camilo Torres was a member, was trying to evaluate the situation in that region and at the same time to prevent a military solution to the conflict. An attempt is being made to stop a peasant movement that has declared the area an "independent republic". In the absence of support and guarantees, the rest of the commission was forced to back down - bombings and military occupation of

4505-523: The condemnation of atheistic communism made by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Divini Redemptoris in the year 1937 , and which was confirmed by Pope John Paul II in two documents published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during his pontificate in 1984 and 1986 which set out the errors being promulgated by the liberation theology, and at the same time he was removed from his post at ESAP and once again had disagreements with Cardinal Concha, who offered him and his coadjutor bishop Rubén Isaza

4590-477: The country, with beautiful paintings dating from 1700. "The Cloister" is listed as a National Heritage Monument of the Republic of Colombia. The 200 Colombian pesos banknote (noe out of circulation) has in his reverse the image of the Cloister of the Del Rosario University and the La Bordadita Chapel, as well as in his obverse the portrait of Jose Celestino Mutis , university teacher. In almost four centuries of history, many distinguished figures have been formed at

4675-426: The ecclesiastical authority. Concha accepted the dispensation but offered Torres to accept it if he returned to the priesthood. Torres gave his last mass on 27 June 1965 in the Church of San Diego in Bogotá. Torres then travelled to Lima returning to Bogotá on 3 July to be received by his mother and a crowd of young people. The platform of his movement sought to address the needs of rural and urban areas, to eliminate

4760-403: The efforts of the general himself, the Military Pantheon of the Fifth Brigade of the National Army was created and the first remains to occupy a place in that pantheon were those of Camilo Torres, although he did not reveal their exact location, leaving the retired general's statements in doubt among the ELN high command. In January 2016, the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos , instructed

4845-404: The hierarchs of the Colombian Church sought to make Torres travel to Leuven , with the ESAP offering to cover the travel costs. However, a meeting in homage to Torres held by the students of the National University dissuaded Torres from travelling. Although Torres was not yet politically active and had no clear political discourse, he was already quite popular. Torres sought to bring together all

4930-460: The interests of the landowners. He first considered creating a guerrilla group together with Álvaro Marroquín, a student at the National University and member of the JUCO. Torres in turn considered INCORA a deficient entity to attend to the needs of the Colombian peasantry, especially in informal education for their organization in search of an agrarian reform different to that proposed by INCORA. The Cuban Revolution , which impacted every country in

5015-423: The majorities did not exist. Until when! We progressives are very intelligent. We speak very well. We are popular. When we are together we are really nice. But reaction moves one of its powerful fingers and paralyses us! We cannot go on without organisation and equal arms, at least. In 1962, the year in which the Second Vatican Council was initiated by Pope John XXIII , Torres was one of the first priests to offer

5100-445: The military campaigns against the conservatives in the civil wars of the 19th century. His parents took him to Europe when he was only two years old. He returned to the country in 1934. Three years later, in 1937, the couple separated, leaving Camilo and his brother Fernando at their mother's side. Expelled for his criticism of the teachers at the traditional Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario , he finished his baccalaureate at

5185-462: The most important figures in the history of liberation theology. He was a life-long friend of fellow socialist Luis Villar Borda and Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez . In the Dominican Republic in 1970, a revolutionary group that included Catholic clergy members and university students was founded under the name CORECATO , which stood for Comando Revolucionario Camilo Torres (Revolutionary Command Camilo Torres). In New York City, San Romero of

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5270-421: The opposition of the time ( Anapo , MRL and Colombian Communist Party); however, he didn't declare himself a Marxist due to the atheism of the ideology, but related several points to Catholicism itself instead. In June 1965, Torres was reduced to the lay state by his ecclesiastical superior, Cardinal Concha, given his practices and teachings that disregarded what was already established by the Catholic Church in

5355-448: The platform went against Catholic ideals and that priests should be apolitical in order to dissociate themselves from Catholicism's ambiguous and traditional relationship with the Conservative Party. Torres met with Concha who vehemently opposed Torres' entry into politics. Umaña then met with Torres and offered him an ecclesiastical post, but Torres requested a dispensation so that he could devote himself to politics and avoid problems with

5440-423: The post of director of sociology department in the Archbishopric of Bogotá with the mediation of the then priest Ernesto Umaña de Brigard. Torres turned down the offer, seeing that the position was to prevent him from intervening in politics as well as presenting the socio-political platform in Medellín , which was the reason why he had previously been removed from his position at the ESAP. Cardinal Concha argued that

5525-403: The region followed, leading to the withdrawal of the peasant militias that would later form the guerrilla movement known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia . At least in its first period, the FARC had the backing of the Colombian Communist Party . Later the same year, Torres came into closer contact with groups that agreed with the armed revolution or were already committed to it. He

5610-406: The restricted democracy of the National Front at all costs, and the participation of the Church in Liberation Theology . However, the National Front lacked a clear political platform, despite being close to and sympathetic to the revolutionary left; they also had their own newspaper, headed by Pedro Acosta, of the same name, which was only distributed three times a week from 26 August 1965, printed in

5695-459: The revolution for the independence from Spain and the drafting of the Political National Constitution of 1991. One of the most important 1886 Constitution's Supreme Court (1936), the so-called golden court, was composed in its majority by lawyers from the Faculty of Jurisprudence. Under the authorization of King Philip IV of Spain , the archbishop of Santa Fe, Cristóbal de Torres founded the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in 1653. By

5780-478: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Camilo_Torres&oldid=1163397898 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Camilo Torres Restrepo As part of

5865-417: The social ideas of two French Dominican priests, Nielly and Blanchet, whom he met through the father of his girlfriend Teresa Montalvo, daughter of a prestigious Bogota family, the idea of becoming a priest began to take hold of Camilo, and to make this decision, he withdrew to meditate in the eastern plains. After breaking up with his girlfriend and despite the reluctance of his mother and father, Camilo entered

5950-444: The study "La violencia y los cambios socio-culturales en las áreas rurales colombianas" (Violence and socio-cultural changes in rural areas of Colombia). Torres was also a member of the technical committee of the agrarian reform founded by the Colombian Institute of Agrarian Reform (INCORA), where he represented the most reformist position of the Board of Directors, which was divided between the Conservative and Liberal parties, typical of

6035-457: The union of the popular class to socially renovate the country. This document was widely disseminated during his travels around the country and, thanks to the discussion it was subjected to during this tour, became the platform of the United Front of the Colombian People, the political movement that Camilo promoted as an alternative for the transformation of society in Colombia. The National Front regime led Camilo Torres in January 1964 to found

6120-563: The university and issued the Constitutions, which remain as the governing documents of the school. The University of El Rosario has always been "from" and "for" the students, established on the basis of "Universitas Scholarium". It is Colombia's oldest higher education institution, never having interrupted instruction during its almost 360 years of existence, except for a couple of years in 1819 when General Morillo of Spain pursued reconquest of Colombian territory. During those years it served as

6205-1010: The university, acting as notary and guaranteeing the legality of the decisions adopted by the university's authorities. The 'Secretaria General' also ensures the conservation and restoration of the historical heritage of the university and supports the rector and the Consiliatura in the fulfillment of their responsibilities. The current 'Secretaria General' is Catalina Lleras Figueroa. The university has five faculties, which are: Faculty of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of International, Political and Urban Studies and Faculty of Creation. It also has 4 schools which are: School of Administration, School of Human Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences and School of Engineering, Science and Technology. Each of these faculties and schools offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. A male primary/secondary school, which shared its name (Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario)

6290-618: The workshops of the Antares publishing house and owned by Torres' friend Gonzalo Canal Ramírez. Despite the growing popularity of the United Front, Torres decided to contact Fabio Vásquez Castaño through student leader Jaime Arenas on 6 July 1965, who had previously led the strike at the Universidad Industrial de Santander . The United Front lasted from August to September 1965 (one month) after breaking with Christian Democracy for imposing

6375-688: Was a professor and was close to and popular with the students. He was a founding member and president of the Movimiento Universitario de Promoción Comunal (MUNIPROC). With the creation of the Juntas de Acción Comunal (JAC), promoted by the government of Alberto Lleras Camargo , from Law 9 of 1958, Torres recognises in it the possibility of decentralising political power and giving possibilities of empowerment to grassroots communities. Together with teachers and students, he carried out community action programmes in working-class neighbourhoods in Bogotá. Torres

6460-657: Was also the organiser of the IX Congress of the Latin American Sociological Association. MUNIPROC's work led to the founding of the first Junta de Acción Comunal (JAC) in Tunjuelito , at that time a working class enclave in the south of Bogotá, where he had been working continuously for several years. In 1963, he chaired the first National Congress of Sociology, also held in Tunjuelito (Bogotá), and presented

6545-570: Was appointed auxiliary chaplain of the National University of Colombia , in Bogotá. The following year, in 1960, he participated along with Orlando Fals Borda , Carlos Escalante, Eduardo Umaña Luna, María Cristina Salazar, Darío Botero Uribe, Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda and Tomás Ducay, among others, in the founding of the first faculty of Sociology in Latin America (today a department) of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia , where he

6630-491: Was close to Camilo although their professions caused them to see each other sporadically. Camilo Torres entered the Faculty of Law at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia , where he would meet again with Villar Borda, and only studied there for the first semester. During this brief period Camilo and Luis edited the university page of the Bogota newspaper La Razón , and on some occasions wrote criticisms against some university magazines that they considered radical. Influenced by

6715-537: Was forced to resign from all his activities at the National University of Colombia , being transferred to the Church of La Veracruz in Bogotá as coadjutor ; assistant to the parish priest with only confession and baptismal certificate functions. This unleashed a strong depression in Torres, who wanted to be close to the people. Shortly before, the Colombian Communist Youth (JUCO) had proposed Torres as rector of

6800-503: Was founded as part of the university. The symbols of the University of El Rosario are: The Virgin of "La Bordadita": "the Bordadita" Virgin is the Patroness of the university. The chapel is named in her honor. The Historic Archive: preserves original documents on the history of the university, which are also part of the historical memory of Colombia. The oldest document dates from 1646. It

6885-601: Was helped by Junior Fajardo and Rita Restrepo de Agudelo to obtain political asylum, first in Panama , then in Mexico where she married ex-priest Óscar Maldonado, finally in Cuba and then in France . Years later, Valencia Tovar, now retired as a general, wrote the book El final de Camilo , in which he clarified details of the death of Camilo Torres. According to Valencia Tovar, Torres was buried in

6970-591: Was his first contact with the Colombian Communist Party . The American-sponsored attempt to overthrow the Cuban regime rallied socialist guerrillas and revolutionary student movements across the Latin America, and it exposed Torres to the ideas of anti-imperialism. At the time, he identified as progressive Catholic and wasn't afraid to raise topics such as poverty and unstable political situation of Colombia. His light-hearted manners made his masses appeal to

7055-513: Was interested in founding a farm-school in Yopal ( Casanare ), as part of the rural action programme that he encouraged in the region and which would go on to achieve other organisational successes; on the board of the Incora, he sparked off a controversy over the application of the law of extinction of ownership restricted to uncultivated lands, which brought him into conflict with Álvaro Gómez Hurtado , also

7140-499: Was later revealed to the guerrillas. As he explained in his "Message to the Christians" published in the first issue of Frente Unido , he realised that the "effective means for the well-being of the majorities ... are not going to be sought by the minorities" and "will not be sought by the privileged minorities in power, because generally these effective means oblige the minorities to sacrifice their privileges", Torres concluded that "it

7225-576: Was sympathetic to these groups and his solidarity with them grew stronger and stronger. The Cuban-oriented guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army was founded on 4 July 1964, and made its public appearance with the seizure of the town of Simacota in Santander on 7 January 1965. Camilo considered it extremely important to connect with this insurgent group and he managed to do so through his urban networks. In 1965, his activities as head of

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