colombia

John Paul's involvement in peacebuilding in Colombia began in the late 1980s. Beginning with Justapaz (the Mennonite Church of Colombia) and extending to community-based work, including with the Catholic Bishops Conference Social Outreach Program, Pastoral Social, he has accompanied the country’s long journey of building peace. Leading up to the 2016 peace agreement, John Paul worked the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace to develop a set of initiatives focused on invigorating local and regional peacebuilding in regions that have suffered a great deal of violence. Wide use of the terms ‘peacebuilding’ and ‘conflict transformation’ in Colombia trace their roots to John Paul’s early community level involvement, with contribution to the Accord’s use of the concept ‘territorial peace.’ John Paul currently serves on the Advisory Council to the Colombian Truth Commission. The resources in this section include books, articles, presentations, and interviews shared in or about the journey toward peace in Colombia.

The Peace Professor

An article offering a glimpse into John Paul's practice of peacebuilding in La Pedregosa, Colombia.

Mercy: The Power of Unexpected Love Incarnated

A conference address reflecting on the relationship between Mercy and forgetfulness on the path toward healing.

The Long Journey Back to Humanity: Catholic Peacebuilding with Armed Actors

An inquiry into experiences of Catholic leadership with armed groups and actors that overviews the types of experiences, approaches, and challenges church leaders face in contexts of open violence, and secondly proposes and explores a theology of peacebuilding.

Strategic Peacebuilding: An Overview

A chapter that sketches the contours of a theory of strategic peacebuilding and offers practical suggestions for peacebuilding practitioners.

Resiliency and Healthy Communities: An Exploration of Image and Metaphor

A contribution to a report on Community Resiliency that explores the ways we organize our thinking around the concepts of "health" and "community" through metaphor and professional experience in the fields of peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

Mission Forward Podcast A Recipe for Cooling Down American Politics with Peacebuilder Dr. John Paul Lederach

John Paul shares insights about how ordinary people can take action to interrupt cycles of toxic polarization in their communities.

The Growing Edge Podcast Unexpected Hope in Improbable Actions

John Paul provides thoughtful, sometimes surprising ideas and advice on how to navigate, disrupt and mitigate the patterns that lead to deeper conflict, with attention to what is happening in contemporary U.S. politics.

C-SPAN Interview John Paul Lederach on Solutions to Overcome Political Polarization

John Paul speaks with Tammy Thueringer about solutions to overcome toxic political polarization and the threat of civil war in the United States.

Grateful Living in Conversation

A conversation between John Paul and Joe Primo in contribution to the course, “Grateful Hope: Passion for the Possible.”