Conference Explores Future of
Catholic Peacebuilding
 Catholic peacebuilding is making a difference. From facilitating negotiations between the government and rebels in Colombia, Burundi and Uganda to promoting reconciliation between Catholics and Muslims in the Philippines and Nigeria, the Catholic community plays a critical role in peacebuilding around the world. In order better to understand and strengthen the practice of Catholic peacebuilding, more reflection is needed on its spiritual, theological and ethical dimensions.
This need for further reflection was a major theme of the Conference on the Future of Catholic Peacebuilding, held at the University of Notre Dame from April 13 to 15.
More than 275 participants from 28 countries attended the conference, which was sponsored by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) and 18 co-sponsors.
Click on the links below for conference resources:
Video, Audio and Paper Presentations
Conference Sponsors
Conference Participants
Photo Gallery
Media Coverage
Participants included an inter-disciplinary group of scholars, Church leaders and peacebuilding specialists from Church institutions and Catholic lay organizations. Many of the participants came from countries torn by conflict, including delegations from Mindanao in the Philippines, the Great Lakes region of Africa, and Colombia -- three areas of special focus for the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. Nine bishops participated from these areas, as well as from Nigeria, Myanmar, and the United States.
The conference was a capstone to a series of international conferences sponsored by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. Previous conferences have been held at the University of Notre Dame (2004), in the Philippines (2005), Burundi (2006), and Colombia (2007). (Click here to read the conference purpose, focus & rationale.)
 It also was the culmination of a multi-year, inductive research project on Catholic peacebuilding sponsored by the CPN, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and the Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union. Scholars from a number of academic disciplines and peacebuilding practitioners reflected together on the theological, ethical and practical dimensions of the Church’s work in peacebuilding. Plenaries and panels focused on issues such as human rights, development and peacebuilding; inter-religious peacebuilding; the relationship between the ethics of war and the ethics of peacebuilding; the role of bishops in peacebuilding; Catholic contributions to international affairs; spiritual and sacramental sources of peacebuilding; and the role of the Church in engaging armed groups.
Papers presented at the conference will be published in a major volume on Catholic peacebuilding that is expected to be available in 2009. Authors include five current or former presidents of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the American Catholic Historical Association, and other prominent scholars and scholar-practitioners engaged in peacebuilding. The book will be co-edited by Robert Schreiter (Catholic Theological Union’s Bernardin Center), Scott Appleby (Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute) and Gerard Powers (Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute).
 In addition to the CPN, conference co-sponsors included the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Graduate School, and Program on Catholic Social Traditions; Boston College’s Department of Theology and Center for Human Rights and International Justice; Catholic Relief Services; Catholic Theological Union’s Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry; The Catholic University of America's Office of the President and Life Cycle Institute; Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute; the University of San Diego’s School of Peace Studies; Washington Theological Union; the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Pax Christi International; Caritas Internationalis, the Sant’ Egidio Community in the United States, and Woodstock Theological Center.
The CPN, which has been spearheaded by Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute and Catholic Relief Services since its founding in 2004, is a coalition of academics and practitioners, clergy and laity, which seeks to enhance the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding. In addition to most of the conference sponsors, others who have been actively involved in the CPN include the Office of International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Colombian Bishops’ Social Pastoral Secretariat/ Caritas Colombia, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Burundi, and the Parliamentary Liaison Office of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops' Conference.
The conference program, photo gallery, list of participants, select texts, video of the plenary sessions and audio of the 20 breakout sessions will be available soon by clicking here. A conference report will be forthcoming.
For further information, please contact: Gerard F. Powers, 574-631-3765; gpowers1@nd.edu
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