If you missed the opportunity to hear our friend and colleague Fr. Leonel Narvaez on the WorldView news program April 14, you can stream it now:
In this interview, Fr. Leonel speaks about the ongoing negotiations in Cuba that give promise to a proposed peace agreement for his country. He also puts into context the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation and how they have been practiced through his leadership at the Foundation for Reconciliation in Colombia and around the world.
About Fr. Leonel and his work in Latin America
Those familiar with our work with Fr. Leonel know that he has dedicated his life to building peace in the understanding that “violence is the failure of dialogue.” Amongst his many accolades, Leonel has been awarded the Great Cross of Civil Merit by the City of Bogota for his contribution to peace in the city. In Paris in 2007, he received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. In 2008, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia honored him with the Order of Democracy.
International awards aside, we know personally and professionally how Fr. Leonel has worked tirelessly through his efforts at the Foundation to inspire and train over 25,000 facilitators reaching countless beneficiaries around the world in new methods of peace and reconciliation. Fr. Leonel’s powerful presentations and sermons have changed the face of reconciliation efforts across the globe and the ESPERE methodology has expanded from its modest beginnings in Colombia to 15 other countries, such as Uganda, where we work closely seeing the growth of this project.
