"Catholic Peacebuilding in Times of Crisis: Hope for a Wounded World"
From June 20-23, the Catholic Peacebuilding Network held an international virtual conference, "Catholic Peacebuilding in Times of Crisis: Hope for a Wounded World." CPN partnered with over two dozen collaborators, and the event drew 1000 registrants and included over 80 speakers from over 30 countries. Plenary sessions included "Hope for a Wounded World," with Cardinal Charles Bo and R. Scott Appleby; "Ethics of Nonviolence, Peacebuilding, and War: Future Challenges," with Lisa Sowle Cahill, Pat Gaffney, Robert Latiff, A. Rashied Omar, and Pavlo Smytsnyuk; "Catholic Church and Peace Processes," with Susan Page, Josefina Echavarría Álvarez, Msgr. Hector Fabio Henao, Paolo Impagliazzo, Myla Leguro, and Bishop Jean-Bertin Nadonye Ndongo; and "Climate, Development, and Peace," with Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Laurie Johnston, Katherine Marshall, Erin Lothes, Aloysius John, and Joseph Muyango.
Recordings of all sessions, plenaries and breakouts, are available on CPN's YouTube channel. This includes a special presentation message from Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See Mission to the UN.
Media coverage:
- Collen Sharkey, "Catholic peacebuilders bring hope amidst the world’s crises," Notre Dame News
- Katie Collins Scott, "Catholic peace-building conference explores ways to bring hope to 'a wounded world,'" National Catholic Reporter
- Jonathan Luxmoore, "Church leaders push to expand their peacekeeping role in Africa," Catholic News Service
- UCA News, "Never give up hope, says Myanmar's Cardinal Bo"
- Marielle Lucenio, "Myanmar’s Cardinal Bo urges faithful to find hope amidst conflict, global crisis," Licas.News
|
|
|
|
COLOMBIA: Francisco de Roux delivers Truth Commission final report to UN Secretary General
On July 14, Francisco de Roux, SJ, president of Colombia's Truth Commission, delivered the Commission's final report to UN Secretary General António Guterres. Guterres affirmed the UN's support for the dissemination of the report and for advocacy to implement its recommendations. While at the UN, de Roux also delivered remarks to the Security Council, stating, "I hope the lesson taught by Colombia keeps everyone away from every war for good and leads us to passionately seek the truth and dignity of human beings. There is a future for Colombia and the whole world as long as there is truth." Also see de Roux's press conference during the UN visit.
|
|
SOUTH SUDAN: Malakal dance choir promotes peace
In the UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, South Sudan, a youth dance choir from the site's Catholic church is infusing dance into liturgy and using it as a tool for peacemaking. David Luk, director of the dance choir, explains that the group uses dance traditions from the various ethnic groups within the PoC as a way of promoting unity: "I am Nuer, but if a Shilluk sees me dancing like a Shilluk, they’ll see that there is no difference between us. So even though we are a lot of tribes, we dance together. I do a Shilluk dance, the Shilluk does a Dinka dance, and so on. That’s what peace is, because it expresses how we are one together.” Maryknoll priest Mike Bassano, the church's pastor, adds, "Our dancers are from different ethnic groups, but since catholic means universal, incorporating everyone, the dancers express that unity that’s needed for peace in South Sudan.”
|
|
|
|
(Photo by Paul Jeffrey)
|
|
VATICAN: Pope Francis expresses regrets about cancelled apostolic journey and calls for peace
Due to ongoing knee problems, Pope Francis was forced to cancel his much-anticipated apostolic journey to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a video message from July 2, the same day the journey was to begin, he expressed his regret for the cancellation and spoke to the challenge of peace in each country. He went on to urge both countries' people to maintain hope for peace, and particularly encouraged young people to "turn the page to open up new paths of reconciliation, forgiveness, serene coexistence, and development.”
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin did visit South Sudan in Francis's stead, and on July 7 delivered a homily emphasizing peace and nonviolence: "If you want peace, you cannot obtain it with war. If you want justice, you cannot achieve it by unjust and corrupt methods. If you want reconciliation, you cannot harbour revenge. If you want to serve your brothers and sisters, you cannot treat them as slaves. If we want to build a future of peace, then, there is only one road to take: to love one another and to live as brothers and sisters."
|
|
ETHIOPIA: Catholic bishops: "Actions that are contrary to any religious teaching . . . are being repeated"
On June 18, a clash between government security forces and the Oromo Liberation Army resulted in severe civilian casualties and property damage. In response, the Catholic bishops of Ethiopia issued a statement on June 24. The statement condemned the violence, which occurred in the Gambela and Western Wollega regions, and tied it to ethnic identity and religion. It also connected the killings to other acts of violence that have occurred throughout the country and which the bishops say are contrary to any religious teaching.
|
|
|
PERU: Failure to ratify Escazú Agreement leaves environmental defenders exposed
The Escazú Agreement is a regional treaty in Latin America to ensure access to environmental information and protection of human rights and environmental defenders. It entered into force in April of 2021. On July 11, the government of Peru failed to ratify the agreement, and observers in the country are concerned about what that might mean for continued violence against environmental defenders. 29 environmental defenders have been killed in Peru since 2011.
|
|
|
|
Resources and Announcements
|
|
|
Against War: Building a Culture of Peace
Against War: Building a Culture of Peace is a new book that collects Pope Francis's thoughts and teachings on war and peace. It was previously available in Italian only, but the English translation is now available. From the publisher's book description: "From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has made concern and action for peace and nonviolence one of his signature themes. From his travels to Iraq and other war-torn regions to his prophetic homilies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he has called the world to pursue a different path. Now, with the recent crisis in the Ukraine, his powerful voice is more prophetic and necessary than ever."
|
|
|
"Peace is a Narrow Path," editorial from La Civilità Cattolica
The editorial board of La Civilità Cattolica published an editorial on July 1 reflecting on the way the war in Ukraine has prompted a new assessment of the problem of war and the complexity of peace. The Italian-based paper focuses mostly on the context of Europe, and reflects on political and economic policies that amount to preparedness for war, the place of peacebuilding in the post-World War II identity of Europe, the need to find creative paths to dialogue, and the importance today for considering what Pope St. John XXIII called the four pillars of peace: truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.
|
|
Ukraine: What Ought to be Done?
The Political Theology Network is publishing a symposium series on the war in Ukraine. The symposium essays aim to "provide moral reasoning about viable options for Ukraine and the West in the face of continued Russian aggression guided and informed by Christian teaching." The introductory essay by organizer Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, as well as the other essays in the series, can be found on the Political Theology Network website.
|
|
|
Women theologians on Fratelli Tutti
A new issue of The Journal of Catholic Social Thought is a special issue that includes women theologians writing on Fratelli Tutti. In the introduction, editors Meghan J. Clark and Anna Rowlands explain, "Focusing on this encyclical and with a critical consciousness of women’s experiences, voices, and the gendered construction of CST and the wider Church discourse, we researched, discussed, and wrote on a range of themes we judged to be important in the document, or the connections we wished to forge between its themes and forgotten, marginalized, or unarchived voices." The journal is available electronically, but a subscription is required.
|
|
Catholic voices on nuclear disarmament
Two recent articles express Catholic voices supporting nuclear disarmament. One is an opinion essay published in The National Catholic Reporter by Patrick O'Neill, a member of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. The essay marks the fortieth anniversary of the country's largest ever nuclear protest in New York City in 1982, and laments that the present threat of the use of nuclear weapons has never been greater.
A second piece describes the way that Archbishop John Wester of Sante, Fe, New Mexico, whose diocese includes the Sandia and Los Alamos nuclear research labs, is trying to use his January pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament as a springboard to additional pastoral action on the issue. The article notes that Wester hopes for the letter to spark dialogue among people of faith, nuclear scientists, and government and military leaders, and that he plans to develop a parish network within his archdiocese to discuss alternatives to nuclear weapons.
|
|
Institut für Theologie und Frieden job posting
The Institut für Theologie und Frieden in Hamburg, Germany is hiring for a project manager. It is a five year position with a possibility of extension. A candidate is sought by November 1, but the start date could be sooner. Candidates should have a doctorate in Catholic theology or philosophy and have an interest in multidisciplinary peace studies research.
|
|
|
Please send information on Catholic peacebuilding to cpn@nd.edu.
The Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) is a voluntary network of practitioners, academics, clergy and laity from around the world which seeks to enhance the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding, especially at the local level. CPN aims to deepen bonds of solidarity among Catholic peacebuilders, share and analyze “best practices,” expand the peacebuilding capacity of the Church in areas of conflict, and encourage the further development of a theology of a just peace. While it is a Catholic network, CPN believes that authentic and effective Catholic peacebuilding involves dialogue and collaboration with those of other religious traditions and all those committed to building a more just and peaceful world.
|
|
Secretariat Staff:
Gerard Powers, Coordinator
Caesar Montevecchio, Assistant Director
Rev. William Headley, CSSp, Adjunct Faculty
Veronica Vos, Program Associate
|
|
|
|
|
