Newsletter: Summer, 2003

forgiveness and reconciliation
— Patricia Mathes Cane, Ph.D. Capaticar Founder/Co-Director

As Capacitar works in regions of violence such as, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Central America and Africa, we are learning a lot about forgiveness and reconciliation. Nobel Laureat Desmond Tutu, who led South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, says that the cycle of reprisal and counter reprisal is broken only when we open ourselves to forgive. In No Future Without Forgiveness, Tutu describes the remarkable path of reconciliation that South Africa chose to follow after the apartheid years of cruelty and injustice. "It filled the people with great hope that despair, anger and resentment would not have the last word." Instead of responding with vengeance, the people demonstrated their magnanimity and nobility of spirit by choosing to forgive.

Currently there are a number of centers researching the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. Few of us learn from family, religion or culture the basic skills of how to forgive and reconcile, on either personal or societal levels. In Forgiveness is a Choice, Robert Enright, Ph.D., President of the International Forgiveness Institute, describes how forgiveness is a process and a commitment whereby we choose to give up our just anger and resentment. We offer to the offender the gift of compassion, benevolence and love, realizing that they do not necessarily have a right to this gift. As we work through this healing process we no longer are controlled by anger, resentment or the past. Our gift of good will may or may not be accepted by the other, but nonetheless we discover the meaning of suffering and the freedom of forgiveness. Enright sees forgiveness as the first step in reconciliation, which also involves the deeper work of rebuilding trust, open communication, re-negotiating one's contract, and restorative justice. In some cases reconciliation is not possible because one side is not able to forgive.

Capacitar is currently working with groups significantly focused on forgiveness and reconciliation. In Ireland and Northern Ireland we worked with women representing many sides of the conflict. Several years ago through a collaborative art project grassroots women (from Ancosan, Tallaght Dublin and from Shankill, Belfast) came together after years of "the Troubles" to create a large community sculpture. In the process they learned compassion, understanding, mutual appreciation, acceptance of differences, and deeper trust. In Belfast we also worked with the Trauma Conflict Resource Center (TCRC), founded by a former prisoner and perpetrator of violence. TCRC brought together for our training former prisoners, families and victims from opposing sides to learn Capacitar practices as a basis for engaging in the challenging work of forgiving and reconciling differences.

In Colombia trainings are being offered by the Capacitar-El Salvador team from Suchitoto, also a former war zone. Salvadorans are teaching Capacitar practices to their counterparts, helping Colombian grassroots leader to live with greater peace in the midst of the violence so they can better work for justice and reconciliation in their communities. In whatever country or culture we work, we find that Capacitar practices can provide tools to heal low self-esteem, anger, resentment, anxiety and traumatic memories empowering people to open to the process of forgiveness.

As Capacitar works to heal ourselves and heal our world, we are inspired by the words of Archbishop Tutu: "There is a movement at the heart of things to reverse the awful centrifugal force of alienation, brokenness, hostility and disharmony…There is a moving toward unity, goodness, peace and justice, a process that removes barriers…True forgiveness deals with the past to make possible the future. We have to accept that what we do we do for generations past, present and yet to come… Forgiveness and reconciliation are not something to be entered into lightly… It is a costly business to heal a wounded and traumatized people. Those engaged in this crucial task will most likely bear the brunt… And perhaps we are effective only to the extent that we ourselves are 'wounded healers.'"

Ireland & Northern Ireland
Ancosan, a popular education center in Tallaght, Dublin, recently hosted Capacitar workshops for grassroots leaders and professionals. Some of the participants worked with heroin and drug detox and recovery, a growing problem in Ireland. Others worked with childcare for poor families, with youth at risk, and with trauma healing for battered women and children. Others focused on cross border/cross cultural understanding with outreach to groups in Northern Ireland, as well as to the growing population of refugees from war-torn countries. Everywhere we went there was enthusiastic interest in Capacitar. Plans are underway to establish in-country teams: Capacitar-Ireland and Capacitar-Northern Ireland. A training of trainers will be offered in both countries in 2004-2005 to be led by Pat Cane and Capacitar-Ireland coordinator Toni Ryan.

Belize — Denise Sausville, RSM
The Women's Commission of Belize recently sponsored national-level Capacitar trainings for grassroots village women and leaders in Belize City, Belmopan, Dangriga, Corozol, and Punta Gorda. Trainings were funded by a Mercy grant and included participants doing grassroots outreach to some of the most marginalized parts of the country. A training of trainers is being planned for 2004-2005.

Colombia — Pat Farrell, osf, Capacitar-El Salvador
A unique collaboration has developed between members of the Capacitar-El Salvador team and grassroots leaders in Medellin, Cali and Bogota, Colombia. Funded by the American Friends Service Committee, trauma healing trainings are being offered during 2003-2004 to bring Capacitar practices to some of the most violent areas of Colombia. With great credibility Salvadoran team members are able to share with Colombian counterparts their own experience of reconciliation and healing after living through war, torture, political and domestic violence and natural disasters.

Nicaragua — Pat Cane
Forgiveness and Reconciliation was the focus of this year's Capacitar Spirituality and Leadership series held at both CANTERA, Center for Popular Education, and at Centro Antonio Valdivieso. After Haiti, Nicaragua is considered the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Capacitar began in Nicaragua during the war years of the 80's. As we have walked in solidarity we have received so much from these wonderful people. Capacitar was founded to brings arms of love and healing, to transform the arms of destruction and oppression resulting from our foreign policy and political embargo. Even our name CAPACITAR comes from the Nicaraguan word, "capacitar", meaning "to empower". It used to be popular to visit Nicaragua, but many people have lost interest in their struggle. Now we are often asked, "Are you coming back? You won't leave us, too?" As Capacitar we feel deeply connected there, and we commit ourselves to continue walking with our Nicaraguan family as they face even greater poverty and struggle.

Indonesia — Mary Litell, osf
At the end of a training held in Jakarta, Indonesia, a man laughingly confessed to the group that he had been so frightened at the beginning. Here he was, a Muslim among Christians, in a Catholic conference center in an unknown place far from his home on the island of Sulawesi. And now at the end, he found himself so at home and so enthusiastic! A decision had been made to invite Catholic and Protestant Christians and Muslims from different areas of conflict in Indonesia who were working with people affected by the violence of recent years. In this way reconciliation was built into the training process with participants having the very experience they wished to extend to others. Mary Litell and Capacitar Co-Director Joan Condon will return to Indonesia and East Timor for September trainings.

Capacitar for Kids — Mary Duennes, Project Coordinator, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio was awarded a three year grant from Catholic Health Initiatives to develop and adapt Capacitar practices for children in grades K-8 at two inner city Catholic elementary schools. The pilot project will be under the direction of the TriHealth Parish Nurse Ministry. "Capacitar for Kids," a multicultural wellness education approach, will offer simple, practical ways: to support the learning process in the classroom; to promote positive healthy attitudes in the person, family and community; to heal physical and emotional symptoms related to traumatic stress; and to transform patterns and attitudes of violence in the individual, community and society. The children in many neighborhoods in Cincinnati and in many other places in our world are the unseen and unheard victims of escalating violence that has become all too common. It is our hope that these simple body-mind-spirit wellness practices will assist in bringing healing and reconciliation to the children, their families, schools and communities. Program goals include learning practices that promote energy flow, improve mental focus and learning, promote emotional balance, heal the body, nurture the spirit and help to heal traumatic stress. Faculty and staff of the pilot schools will be taught Capacitar practices during two days of training in August 2003. They will be supported and encouraged to integrate the practices throughout the course of the school day.