Catholic leaders from some of the world’s worst conflict zones gathered at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome on May 29th and 30th to discuss ways to make peace. Nigeria, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Somalia, Peru, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were among the 22 countries represented in a seminar, “New Challenges for Catholic Peacebuilding.”  

“From South Sudan, the Middle East and Central America to Congo, Colombia and the Philippines, the Catholic Church is a powerful force for peace, freedom, justice and reconciliation,” said Cardinal Peter K. A. Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who led the meeting. “But this impressive and courageous peacebuilding often remains unknown, under-analyzed and unappreciated.”