Lessons Learned by U.S. Faith Communities in Solidarity with the Guatemalan Peace Process

Every conflict is unique of course, but there are some general lessons to be learned from the Guatemala experience that might apply to other conflicts played out in other cultural settings in which religion and religious actors play a role, such as:

Every conflict is unique of course, but there are some general lessons to be learned from the Guatemala experience that might apply to other conflicts played out in other cultural settings in which religion and religious actors play a role, such as:

1. The struggle for peace belongs first to those people directly engaged in it. The people in the struggle know best their own history and their life. It is they who have suffered; it is their future that is at stake. Those on the outside, whether faith-based or secular, no matter how well-meaning, can at best listen and learn, be culturally-sensitive, encourage, and assist. The role of outside partners is important, but it is a secondary role.
2. Building and keeping trust is the foundation for successful mediation. This sounds easy, but it is not, especially for people who have experienced time and again the breaking of promises and the disregard of treaties, trust is never instant or easy. It needs to be built up “on the ground” through demonstrated, long-term commitment to the well-being of the community in conflict. Building trust, or covenant, belongs to the special calling of communities of faith.
3. The need to be truthful and transparent is paramount. Any breach of confidence will have major negative consequences. One’s integrity and consistency will be tested over and over again. One must be prepared to speak the same truth to all sides and to fulfill the promises that have been made.
4. It is important to know the limits of your role as the outside partner-in-solidarity. The role of religious groups, generally speaking, is to facilitate, not negotiate. Of primary importance is the ability to bring conflicting parties together, to clarify issues and to initiate measures that build confidence and trust. Religious communities are also able to accompany a process, encouraging all sides in the conflict and keeping the parties honest.
5. Being willing to both affirm and transcend one’s own faith tradition is essential. This is difficult for those faith communities that claim to know and possess absolute truth. Those involved in conflict, or those who seek to mediate conflict, will have little chance of success if their own truth claims are fundamentalist or exclusive, that admit no truth whatever in the other. Faith based communities are called to affirm the religious substance in and through the various cultural forms that give expression to their own traditions and the traditions of others.
6. Individuals and groups involved in mediation must avoid the need to take credit. Although all non-governmental organizations, including those that are faith-based, need to provide thorough reports to their constituencies, this need not translate into public self-praise over an apparent success in a peacemaking venture. Once an organization seeks to take credit publicly, the effectiveness of that organization becomes diminished. Again, ownership of the process belongs first and foremost to those who are engaged in it at the local, national, and international levels.
7. The ability to share resources with other groups and individuals is both good and effective. Most organizations hold their financial and other resources very close. Yet those willing to share money and personnel, time and insights unselfishly with others will be most effective in reaching their desired goal. This in no way infringes on the demands for fiduciary responsibility and good accounting practices. Rather it is a sign of good stewardship in service to the common good.
8. Faith communities are well equipped for the task of reconciliation, healing, and nation-building. At the heart of most faith communities is the desire to overcome alienation with reconciliation, to bring healing through truth-telling, confession, and mutual acceptance. This a powerful resource that is able to bring conflicting groups together following bitter conflicts. Faith communities need to be prepared to help establish the structures and practices that make healing and culturally-sensitive development possible.
9. Faith communities share a common commitment to social harmony based on justice. Although most religious communities are determined to exhaust all non-violent means to bring about peaceful resolution to disputes, this dare not translate into a simple acceptance of peace at any price. Peace among unequal partners is no peace at all. Faith communities need to work for genuine peace, which is present when there are members of society have access to resources and opportunity.
10. Faith-based communities need to be willing to take risks. This is not a pious slogan; rather, it acknowledges a willingness to enter the public sphere and to make contacts that might be considered unconventional or even dangerous. Religious groups that consider their role to be restricted to the private life of the individual might not be well suited to this task. There must also be a willingness on the part of outside partners who wish to be in solidarity to try and fail.

From Paul Wee’s program presentation “Religions Collaborate for Peace: The Guatemalan Model” at the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, Barcelona, Spain, July 13, 2004. Dr. Wee – former General Secretary for the Lutheran World Ministries and former Assistant General Secretary for International Affairs and Human Rights of the Lutheran World Federation – helped broker the Guatemalan Peace Accords of 1996 beginning with the Oslo rounds beginning in 1990.

Further suggested reading:

Comparative Peace Processes in Latin America, Cynthia J. Arnson, eds., Woodrow Wilson Center Press: Washington, DC and Stanford University Press: Stanford, California, 1999.

A Global Ethic: The Declaration of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Hans Kung and Karl-Josef Kuschel, Continuum Publishing Company: New York, New York, 1998.

Theological Ethics and Global Dynamics: In the Time of Many Worlds, William Schweiker, Blackwell Publishing: Malden, Massachusetts, 2004.

The Common Good and Christian Ethics (New Series in Christian Ethics #22), David Hollenbach, S.J., Cambridge University Press: New York, New York, 2002.