Jesuit Father Francisco de Roux Lecture Series
Non-Western Culture Activities
Please join us for two conferences with Fr. Francisco de Roux about his work as a facilitator in the Peace Agreement with guerrilla group Farc in Colombia and the political, social and spiritual challenges of post-war.
Friday, Feb. 17
Economy and Society in Colombia in the Post-War
Hixson-Lied Science Building, G03
3:30 p.m.
Sociedad, Cultura y Fe en Colombia en la Posguerra
Criss, 217
11 a.m.
Lecture will be in Spanish
For more information, please contact Dr. María Antonia Garcia de la Torre
[email protected]
Fr. Francisco de Roux Rengifo, the Jesuit priest who founded and led the Magdalena Medio Peace and Development Program, is one of the most respected people in peasant issues and peacebuilding in Colombia.
He led projects of peasant economy and associative credits - as economic alternatives in the midst of the war - and the return of displaced populations, such as in the controversial case of Las Pavas. It is also known for promoting peasant reserve areas such as the Cimitarra River Valley and for seeking solomonic outlets for land conflicts.
The Program was awarded the National Peace Prize in 2001 and three of its ‘children’ have received the same prize: Merquemos Juntos (an organization of markets and community credits in Barrancabermeja) in 2011, the reserve area of the River Valley Scimitar in 2010 and displaced peasants of Las Pavas in 2013.
In 2008 he left the leadership of the Peace Program to assume the head of the Jesuit community in Colombia. He continued to be closely involved in peace issues and has been on the jury of the National Peace Prize - organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation - for a decade.
Fr. de Roux has worked towards peace in Colombia for decades and is part of the group that signed the end of five decades of war with Farc just a few weeks ago. His effort, along with other members of the Peace dialogues, was recognized by the Peace Nobel Prize, which was awarded to Colombia’s current president, Juan Manuel Santos. In August 2016, he offered to be exchanged for the hijacked former congressman, Odían Sánchez, giving a great example of solidarity. As a man that devoted his life to spreading reconciliation, forgiveness, and spirituality in a country devastated by violence, Fr. De Roux’s visit at Creighton should be inspirational for all.
