Peace-building through Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue

The process of peace building is complex and multidimensional. This is particularly so in contexts of conflict, for which three interconnected phases of peace building have been identified: conflict prevention and deescalation, crisis management and cessation of hostilities, and consolidation leading to a stable peaceful order. These phases are connected with a number of factors which are required for, or significantly contribute to, peace on both the individual, internal level (for example, trust and forgiveness) and on the broader, social level (for example, disarmament and justice). Similarly complex, ecumenical and interfaith dialogue comprise a range of characteristics (for example, honesty, openness, mutual acceptance and respect), and take various forms, including the dialogue of religious experience, the dialogue of action and the dialogue of life. The link between such dialogue and peace building is the topic of this paper. By examining case studies from Bougainville, PNG and South Africa (the Truth and Reconciliation Commission), some of the diverse ways in which ecumenical and interfaith dialogue can contribute to peace building and its associated factors across all phases are revealed.