Catholic Peacebuilding in Times of Crisis: Hope for a Wounded World

Monday, June 20, 2022 8:00 am EST

The world is emerging from an historic health crisis that has exacerbated existing conflicts, poverty, inequalities, polarization, and threats to the environment. While the pandemic led to unprecedented cooperation and heroic responses by many, it also exposed deficits in leadership and emboldened authoritarians, demagogues, and chauvinistic nationalists. Just as the world hopes to move beyond the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens global peace in ways thought unimaginable when the pandemic began. The challenge to Catholic peacebuilders is clear: we must ensure that the post-pandemic return to “normal” does not look like the pre-pandemic status quo, or worse. That will require an integral and integrated approach to peace, development and ecology because the cry of war’s victims, the cry of the poor, and the cry of the earth rise as one (Laudato Si’, no. 49).

This conference, held in June 2022, convened a wide range of Catholic peacebuilders – Church leaders, scholars, peacebuilding specialists and other practitioners – from around the world.

It allowed participants to learn from their rich and diverse experiences in confronting challenges to peace around the world and help them discern new and creative ways to respond to the historic challenges to peace that we now face.

The Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) is a voluntary network of practitioners and academics, clergy and laity, which seeks to enhance the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding in areas torn by conflict. It is comprised of 23 affiliated organizations, but also works with many other individual and institutional partners worldwide. As a Catholic network, CPN believes that authentic and effective peacebuilding involves dialogue and collaboration with those of other religious traditions and all those committed to building a more just and peaceful world.

This site is hosted by the Secretariat of CPN, which is housed at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs.

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Lead sponsor: The Catholic Peacebuilding Network

In collaboration with:

Holy See Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
Javeriana Pontifical University
Caritas Colombia/ National Social Pastoral Secretariat
Catholic Relief Services
Office of Global Engagement, Boston College
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, Georgetown University
Office of International Justice and Peace, US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Center on Religion and Culture, Fordham University
International Federation of Catholic Universities
Department of Justice and Peace Studies, University of St. Thomas
Pax Christi International
Franciscans International
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue
Las Casas Institute for Social Justice, Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford
Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Parliamentary Liaison Office
Institut Superieur de Paix et Reconciliation, Catholic University of Bukavu
School of Conflict Studies, St. Paul University
Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture, University of Dayton
Department of Peace Studies, College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University
Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institutes of Africa and Madagascar
Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, University of Notre Dame

For more information visit the event website.

Global AffairsCatholic Peacebuilding NetworkKroc InstitutePeace