Pope Francis arrived on a five-day trip to Colombia on Wednesday with the hope his presence will unite a nation deeply divided by a peace deal that ended a five-decade war with Marxist FARC rebels.

 An Alitalia flight carrying the Argentine pontiff landed at the Catam military air base in Bogota and will head to the Vatican Embassy after being greeted by President Juan Manuel Santos.

In his fourth visit to his native region of the world since becoming pope four years ago, the 80-year-old Argentine now heads to one of Latin America's most troubled countries.

On a five-day tour starting Thursday, he will meet with victims of the war at a delicate time as the country gradually turns the page on more than half a century of conflict.