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About the Catholic Peacebuilding Network
The
Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) is a voluntary
network of practitioners, academics, clergy, and
laity from around the world that seeks to enhance
the
study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding, especially
at the local level. The 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, the 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.
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Bokani Hart, a CRS staffer in the
Congo, talks with
Rev. Patrick Eyinla of Nigeria. |
Why
a Catholic Peacebuilding Network?
The
Catholic Church is blessed with many "artisans
of peace," or peacebuilders, working at all
levels to prevent conflicts from breaking out, resolve
conflicts once started, and reconcile and rebuild
divided societies after conflicts have ended. The
CPN aims to serve and complement, not supplant or
duplicate, these peacebuilding efforts by responding
to four needs:
- Deepening
Solidarity. Too often, the Church's
artisans of peace feel alone. The CPN convenes
and connects peacebuilders from around the world
in order to build and deepen relationships of
solidarity with and among peacebuilders.
- Sharing
Best Practices. Much of the Church's
work for peace, especially at the local level,
is not well known or well understood. The CPN
stimulates a more systematic sharing, mapping
and analysis of the "best practices" of
Catholic peacebuilding around the world.
- Building
Capacity. Catholic peacebuilders in
conflict areas too often lack skills and resources.
The CPN links peacebuilders to those who can
provide the training, strategic planning, or
other resources that might be necessary for the
Catholic community to be a more effective force
for peace in conflicted areas.
- Developing
a Theology of a Just Peace. Church leaders
and others have called for further development
of a theology of a just peace that is comparable
in scope and sophistication to the Church's long
tradition of moral reflection on the use of military
force. Building upon this rich tradition, the
CPN stimulates further development of peacebuilding
as a conceptually coherent, theologically accurate,
spiritually enlivening and practically effective
contribution to the Church's broader reflection
on and action for justice and peace.
While
the CPN addresses the public policy dimensions of
Catholic peacebuilding, this is not its principal
focus, nor does it engage in advocacy on policy issues.
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How
Does the Network Contribute to Catholic Peacebuilding?
The
CPN contributes to the Church's wider efforts at
promoting peace by connecting a diverse range of
those involved in the practice and study of peacebuilding,
facilitating training and support for peacebuilders,
and encouraging further research on Catholic peacebuilding.
- Convenings. The
CPN convenes on a regular basis a diverse range
of people engaged in the study and practice of
conflict prevention, conflict transformation, and
post-conflict reconciliation. The first
major conference, held at the University of
Notre Dame in May 2004, brought together forty
specialists from a dozen countries to examine Catholic
peacebuilding initiatives in the Philippines, Rwanda
and Colombia, and to hear accounts of the challenges
in Northern Uganda, South Africa and the Democratic
Republic of Congo. A second
annual conference was held in Mindanao,
in the Philippines, in July 2005.
- Clearinghouse. Through
its website and listserv, the CPN is a clearinghouse
for information on Catholic peacebuilding activities
and research and connects Catholic peacebuilders
with those who might be able to help.
- Research
and Publishing. The CPN sponsors and
stimulates scholarly research and publishing
on the theory and practice of Catholic peacebuilding
around the world. The CPN is planning a series
of consultations on the development of a spirituality,
theology, ethics, and praxis of a just peace,
which would lead to a major volume(s) on Catholic
peacebuilding.
- Training
and Support. The CPN is not a funding
organization, but it supports the work of Catholic
peacebuilding in areas of conflict through training
programs, collaboration on strategies for pastoral
and policy initiatives, and assistance in accessing
needed resources.
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Fr. William Headley,
Counselor to the President, Catholic Relief
Services Headquarters
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Background,
Structure & Membership
The
CPN was developed over two years, starting
in 2002, through a series of consultations
spearheaded by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at
the University of Notre Dame and Catholic
Relief Services, with the active involvement
of Maryknoll,
the Office of International Justice and Peace
of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops,the
Center for International Social Development
at the Catholic
University of America, and the Sant'
Egidio Community in the United States.
While originating within the United States,
the CPN is networking and collaborating with
Catholic peacebuilders around the world.
The
CPN is coordinated by the Kroc Institute.
Its work is guided by a steering
committee of a dozen members. Working groups
are established on particular issues or projects
as needed. CPN membership is open to anyone
who would like to contribute to a better understanding
and a more effective practice of Catholic peacebuilding.
Members are asked to contribute as they are
able. |
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