Religious Leaders Speaking Tour: Chicago, IL
October 7-9, 2006

In celebration of “Semana por la Paz” in Colombia, we invite you to a panel discussion with

Catholic Bishop Nel Beltran,
Afro-Colombian Catholic priest Fr. Rafael Castillo, and
Mennonite peace leader Ricardo Esquivia!

“Experiences in Ecumenical Peace Building Amid Violence & Forced Displacement”

From Colombia’s Network for Development and Peace of Montes de Maria Foundation (FRDPMMa)
Fundación Red de Desarrollo y Paz de Montes de María

Saturday, October 7
7:00 – 9:00 pm

St. Josaphat Church
2311 N. Southport (at Belden)
Chicago, IL 60614

(No Charge, but a free will offering will be taken for war displaced families in Colombia)

RSVP if possible to Clara Salinas, 773/293-2964 or csalinas[at]crln.org,
However, an RSVP is NOT required to attend!

Located: 4 blocks west & 1 block south of the “Fullerton” CTA Red Line El Stop.

Parking: Available in the church lot behind church as well as on the street!

Montes de Maria, near Colombia’s Atlantic coast, has suffered disproportionate violence from Colombia’s armed conflict. Consequently, this zone, which includes historic African descendent “Palenque” free towns, has one of the highest concentrations of Colombia’s 3 million internally displaced persons.

These religious leaders have created an innovative model of ecumenical alliance for protecting civilian lives and addressing the economic root causes of the internal armed conflict in the Montes de Maria. FRDPMMa implements a peace building experience that has been effective in preventing the increase of internal displacement of person in this region.

Ricardo Esquivia was CRLN’s fall membership luncheon speaker in 2000. Fr. Rafael Castillo was in Chicago as a participant in the Partnering for Peace conference on Colombia last October 2005, and was present at CRLN’s fall membership luncheon. See full bios.

Please Mark Your Calendar!

Celebrate Week for Peace in Solidarity with Colombia!

Co-sponsored by:

- Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) - Midwest Office
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Archdiocese of Chicago
- Amnesty International USA - Midwest Regional Office
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
- Chicago Presbytery “Congregations in Solidarity with Latin America” Mission Team (CSLA)
- Eighth Day Center for Justice

Speaker Profiles:

Bishop Nel Beltran has been Bishop of Sincelejo since 1992. Bishop Beltran participated in the peace talks between the government of César Gaviria and the socialist current of the ELN guerrilla group, which demobilized in 1991. He is currently a member of the Episcopal Commission of the Social Outreach Office of the Catholic Church and has been named to the National Commission on Reparation and Reconciliation (Comisión Nacional de Reparación y Reconciliación – CNRR), which was formed to give careful follow up to the current paramilitary demobilization in Colombia. He is President of the Network for Development and Peace Foundation of Montes de María.

Father Rafael Castillo is the Executive Director of the Foundation. Over the past decade, he has worked tirelessly on behalf of those most vulnerable to the impacts of the social and armed conflict in Colombia, including active work with the displaced population. From 1997 through 2002 he served as Executive Secretary of the Facilitating Commission for Peace of the Department of Bolívar. He has written and presented widely on peace, armed conflict, and displacement in Colombia, and has been active in international education and advocacy efforts.

Ricardo Esquivia is the founding Director of the Mennonite Church organization Justapaz, which began over 15 years ago. He has worked with the Evangelical Council of Colombia (CEDECOL), helping to found and build their Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace, which works with 1,300 promoters in 100 municipalities. He was also a founding member of the Permanente Civil Society Assembly for Peace. As the CEDECOL representative to the National Peace Council, Mr. Esquivia has participated in dialogues with illegal armed groups such as the FARC, the ELN, and the AUC, as well as in dialogues with members of the Colombian Armed Forces. He is a founding member of the Network for Development and Peace Foundation of Montes de María.

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