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.
A brief from Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula, SJ, from the Hekima Institute for Peace Studies and International Relations. Kafarhire argues that the pandemic in this age of globalization requires new thinking and approaches. He focuses on four areas that he claims must be integrated into the policy response to pandemic: moral leadership, reliable information sharing, global cooperation, and structured coordination between stakeholders.
Some recent writing reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and nonviolence:
Marie Dennis, Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, "COVID-19: Toward Authentic Security Rooted in Nonviolence"
Ken Butigan, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, "Love in the Time of Coronavirus"
Jonathan Pinckney and Miranda Rivers, USIP, "Nonviolent Action in the Time of Coronavirus"
A group of organizations in Colombia, including the Jesuit-run CINEP/Programa Por la Paz and Cáritas Colombiana, have issued a call demanding armed groups observe a ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic. The statement lists 15 assassinations of social leaders during March, and describes how the ongoing violence creates greater risk for communities already compromised because they lack the resources or means to socially isolate to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has provided a breakdown showing how much the annual nuclear weapon expenditures in France, the UK, and the US could provide in needed medical supplies to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caritas Internationalis is mobilizing in multiple ways to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their website is providing ongoing updates on areas where Caritas is working as well as maintaining a clearinghouse of social media updates.
In a new episode of the "On Peace" podcast from the United States Institute for Peace, Nancy Lindborg talks about opportunities for peace amid the humanitarian and security risks posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, as cases appear in the Middle East and Africa. “The hope is that everyone uses this opportunity to put down their arms and think differently about conflict,” says Lindborg.
In America magazine, John Carr reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of Catholic social tradition.
Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life hosted an online discussion via Facebook Live on March 26, from 4-5:30PM EDT (8-9:30PM UTC). According to the event description: “The coronavirus pandemic is a moral crisis, raising fundamental questions about who we are, what we believe, and how we should act to protect human life and dignity and promote the common good in a time of fear, danger, and loss. We face not only a global health calamity, but unprecedented economic, governmental, political, and moral challenges as well. This online dialogue will explore how faith and Catholic social thought can offer moral principles for hard choices, ethical criteria for public action, and hope in a time of fear. In particular, Catholic social thought offers principles to guide our choices as individuals and families, as a nation, and as a global community.”
Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), and World Faiths and Development Dialogue (WFDD) are launching an online platform to gather and communicate information about religious responses to the pandemic. "The aim is to organize information so that it can be quickly found and used by development policymakers and practitioners as well as religious actors who seek to work together in the COVID-19 response." This follows a consultation hosted by the Berkley Center on March 11 to discuss faith dimensions of the pandemic.
The Peru unit of Iglesias y Minería, the Latin American church network for justice in mining, has released a statement critiquing the government of Peru for allowing mining opertaons to continue despite national shutdowns due to COVID-19. It states, "This puts the life and health of the workers at risk, as well as that of the rural communities and local populations where these operations are carried out. The risk is high and we must adhere to the established quarantine. The argument that these activities would be protected by being in remote or confined places, as President Vizcarra has pointed out, is not supported."
Concerns are mounting for communities living in war ridden zones across the globe, where access to primary health care is little and scarce. Displaced people in these areas suffer from a shortage of drinking water, food and health services
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis calls for global ceasefire.
It’s necessary to overcome antagonisms and oppositions through dialogue and a constructive search for peace
