The Program on Negotiation and Religions and the Practice of Peace at Harvard Divinity School
are pleased to co-sponsor:
The Church as a Reconciling Presence
in a World of Conflict:
The Role of Religion in International
Conflict Transformation
Part of the Religions and the Practice of Peace Colloquium
with
Canon Sarah Snyder, PhD
Advisor for Reconciliation to the Archbishop of Canterbury
and
Right Reverend Anthony Poggo, PhD
Advisor for Anglican Communion Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Thursday, January 25, 2018
6:00 – 8:30 pm
Sperry Room, Andover Hall
45 Francis Ave.
Cambridge, MA
Space is limited. RSVP is required.
About the Talk:
Is religion a cause of violent conflict or a catalyst for its transformation? Do faith leaders have a role at the international peacebuilding tables? Current international affairs highlight the power of religious ideologies—and their misappropriation—as a catalyst for social action. They have also prompted unprecedented interest in the role of religious leaders and ideologies to transform conflict and violence.
The keynote session of the fourth annual RPP Colloquium dinner series will feature Canon Sarah Snyder, PhD, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Director of Reconciliation, joined by her colleague in the field, Bishop Anthony Poggo, PhD. They will share their experiences of working in conflict zones and reflect on vital lessons for the contemporary world.
In connection with the Colloquium, Canon Snyder and Bishop Poggo are leading two special workshops on the role of the church in peacebuilding in South Sudan (6 pm on January 24) and on practical approaches to reconciliation and peacebuilding (10:30 am on January 25). RSVP is required for all events. Contact rpp@hds.harvard.edu.
About the Speaker:
Canon Sarah Snyder, PhD is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advisor for Reconciliation. This role has a particular emphasis on supporting the Anglican Church in contexts of violent conflict or post-conflict and helping the Church to be an agent of reconciliation and conflict-transformation.
A theologian who specializes in Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, Canon Snyder brings wide-ranging international experience of peacebuilding and dialogue. She has worked for many years to promote faith-based reconciliation, most recently as Director of Partnerships with Religions for Peace International, an organization affiliated with the United Nations. Canon Snyder has also directed the Cambridge International Summer Schools for faith leaders from conflict zones. A trained mediator, she has experience working with communities and with senior religious leaders.
Canon Snyder is Founding Director of the Rose Castle Foundation, an international center of reconciliation, based in the north of England, offering safe space in which to address misunderstanding of the “other”, particularly those of different religious traditions. Located in Cumbria, it is a peaceful haven in which to transform conflict within and between faith communities, and to train a generation of leaders equipped as faith-based mediators.
Right Reverend Anthony Poggo, PhD, is the Advisor for Anglican Communion Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Before moving to London in October 2017 to accept the position, Bishop Anthony spent nine years as Diocesan Bishop of Kajo-Keji, South Sudan, serving one of the most challenging provinces in the Anglican Communion. Throughout his ministry, Bishop Anthony has served as both teacher and pastor, engaging with the profound issues faced in many parts of the Communion where famine, war, and violent ethnic tensions have destabilized society. He worked for six years with Scripture Union in Sudan and Uganda, after obtaining his master of theology degree in 1994. In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate for his role in mobilizing the church in service of the community, and has various publications to his name, including Come Let Us Rebuild: Lessons from Nehemiah (Millipede Books, 2013).
The event will be moderated by David N. Hempton, Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, Alonzo L. McDonald Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies, John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity.
