Later this month the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) – whose secretariat is at the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies – will publish a new report focused on the international Catholic community’s engagement on mining.
“Catholic Approaches to Mining: A Framework for Reflection, Action, and Planning” is the result of a year-long consultative process led by CPN and its many collaborators – Laudato Si' Research Institute (LSRI), Campion Hall, University of Oxford, the Kroc Institute, the Holy See Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Caritas Internationalis.
On Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Holy See Dicastery will host a virtual launch event celebrating the report. It will take place at 9 a.m./ET (3 p.m./CEST; 1 p.m./GMT) in English, with simultaneous translation in Spanish and French. To attend, register here.
Caesar A. Montevecchio, CPN’s assistant director, will moderate the panel discussion to feature:
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Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
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Elena Sofia Fanciulli, Caritas Internationalis
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Jing Rey Henderson, Caritas Philippines
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Liliana Zamudio Vaquiro, Caritas Colombia
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Rev. Rigobert Minani, SJ, Centre d'Etudes pour l'Action Sociale (DRC)
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Séverine Deneulin, Laudato Si' Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford
“The Catholic Church continues to play a major peacebuilding role in a number of the world’s intractable conflicts,” said Montevecchio. “This document is the product of lengthy back-and-forth exchange with Catholic actors and others defending communities and the environment in mining contexts throughout the world,” he said.
Much of the report’s data sprang from a global conference, “Peacebuilding, Mining, and Integral Human Development,” held in Bogotá, Colombia last June. Organized by CPN, the gathering was hosted by Javeriana University and its Alfredo Vásquez Carrizosa Institute for Human Rights and Peacebuilding, and the Colombian Episcopal Conference National Secretariat for Social Pastoral-Cáritas Colombiana.
Nearly 60 attended the conference, representing the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Vatican City, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We’re witnessing how peacebuilding work is becoming increasingly intertwined with issues of resource extraction, degradation of the environment, and backsliding on peace processes,” said Montevecchio, who added that these actions present new and complex challenges for achieving sustainable peace.
The conference tackled these challenges head-on, offering Catholic peacebuilders the opportunity to compare notes on lessons learned and best practices with counterparts from around the world. Mining and armed conflict, ecology, women's leadership and the impact of mining on women, youth and employment, the capacity and power of ecclesial networks, the effect of the energy transition, and indigenous rights were among the topics addressed.
“Much of the peacebuilding work led by the Catholic community is unheralded, under-resourced, and under-analyzed,” said Gerard F. Powers, director of the Kroc Institute’s Catholic Peacebuilding Studies and coordinator of CPN.
“Gathering a diverse group of leading Catholic peacebuilders to assess what works, what doesn’t, and what are good practices enhances the Church’s peacebuilding work. Together, we become more strategic and less reactive to situations that arise. That was the purpose of this conference – to foster networking and mutual learning regarding the unique challenges of peacebuilding, mining, and integral human development,” said Powers.
The Catholic Peacebuilding Network is a global network made up of 24 affiliated partners, including bishops’ conferences, academic institutions, and humanitarian and aid organizations. Its June conference was co-sponsored by the Laudato Si' Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford; the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs and its Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business; Pax Christi International; the Southern African Bishops' Parliamentary Liaison Office; and the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation.
Originally published by at kroc.nd.edu on October 09, 2025.