Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - A Colombian missionary of the Consolata (IMC) Father Leonel Narvaez Gomez received special mention at a ceremony in Paris for the presentation of the UNESCO Education to peace Award 2006. The award was recognition of Fr Leonel’s efforts to promote peace in Colombia with a new programme ESPERE (Escuela de Perdón y Reconciliación - Course for forgiveness and reconciliation), sponsored by a foundation with its head-offices at the provincial house of the Consolata missionaries in Bogota.
Fr Leonel, who studied sociology at Cambridge and theology at Harvard, is convinced that “the only way to ensure a future for Colombia is to teach people to forgive and be reconciled, to put aside rancour, hatred and revenge”. The goal of ESPERE is to teach people the forgiveness and reconciliation of the Christian message: Fr Leonel is aware that cultural analysis and sophisticated methods cannot eradicate hatred. It is necessary to go to the roots and concentrate on forgiveness and reconciliation, themes almost forgotten by social sciences.
A few months of experience with 10 teachers from various parts produced the ESPERE method taught today at special centres all over the country with the help of trained volunteers. A volunteer holds a course for about 20 students from various sectors of society who are then sent in turn to spread the initiative with smaller groups of 4-5 people. “The experience has a cathartic effect on people liberating them from accumulated rancour and anger which would otherwise turn to poison and can even ruin the life of a person definitively”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2006, righe 22, parole 310)
