Pope mourns slain archbishop

The archbishop, who was a critic of Colombian guerrilla groups, was shot several times.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II has paid tribute to a Colombian archbishop who was gunned down in a street.

Two gunmen shot and killed Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino, 63, on Saturday after he left a church in Cali.

No one has claimed responsibility for killing Duarte, who was known for his outspoken criticism of Colombia's rebels.

The pope named Duarte archbishop in Cali -- 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Bogota, the Colombian capital -- in August 1995.

During his Sunday appearance in St. Peter's Square, the pope described Duarte as generous and brave.

"He paid the highest price for his energetic defense of human life, his firm opposition to all types of violence and his dedication to social development according to the Gospel," the pope said.

"While I lift up my prayers for the eternal rest of the late prelate and express my closeness to the Colombian church that weeps over his tragic demise, I urge Colombians once again to follow the way of dialogue, excluding all types of violence, blackmail and kidnapping and to firmly commit themselves to what are the true roads of peace."

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VIDEO Listen to Pope John Paul II announce the death of Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino (March 17) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Witnesses said Duarte was shot by two men on motorcycles in a poor district in Cali.

He was dead on arrival at Carlos Holmes Trujillo Hospital in Cali, hospital director Ricardo Vanegas said.

Edilberto Ceballos, Duarte's driver, told Caracol radio network that the archbishop was shot several times, including in the head.

"Two guys came and opened fire and hit him three or four times, maybe even six times," the driver said. "I saw him dead."

The archbishop was well-known for being a harsh critic of the region's guerrilla groups. Before the country's last legislative elections, he warned of links between the guerrillas and drug dealers.

In 1999, he excommunicated members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) after they abducted dozens of worshippers from a Catholic church in Cali.

A year later, he wrote a newspaper editorial criticizing ELN and FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, as well as the government for its failure to stop rebel attacks.