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The Encounter of Humanity: A Paradigm for a World of Peace
Thursday, October 22, 2026
SEDOS’ Autumn Seminar 2026 focused on the theme “Mission as Communion: One in Christ – United in Mission”. In the closing panel discussion, Comboni Brother Alberto Parise presented a missionary experience under the title “The Encounter of Humanity: A Paradigm for a World of Peace”, exploring how authentic human encounter can become a path towards reconciliation, social transformation and peace in a world marked by multiple crises, including armed conflicts, environmental degradation and growing inequalities.
The reflection begins with the experience of the 2002 Kariobangi massacre in Nairobi, Kenya, which left deep wounds among different ethnic communities. In response, an interreligious journey of healing and reconciliation developed through listening to survivors, sharing stories, rediscovering African cultural and spiritual traditions, and planting peace trees. This experience demonstrated how human solidarity, faith and cultural symbols can transform grief and hostility into renewed hope, fraternity and a shared commitment to peace.
Drawing on this experience, the author identifies five interdependent dynamics that form an “architecture of encounter”: evoking humanity, facilitating participation, transcending differences, deep listening and taking care.
These dynamics create spaces where people can recognize one another’s dignity, participate actively, address conflicts creatively and build relationships that sustain lasting change. Aligned with African traditions of utu and ubuntu, this vision understands humanity as fundamentally relational: our lives and flourishing are interconnected.
The reflection connects the culture of encounter with the challenges facing humanity today. It highlights the contribution of Indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society and faith traditions to integral ecology and calls for more inclusive forms of multilateral cooperation. Rather than imposing uniform solutions, genuine dialogue should bring different forms of knowledge and experience into a common search for the good of all.
Ultimately, the encounter of humanity is presented as both a social paradigm and a spiritual vocation. In the perspective of the Missio Dei, it is a way of participating in God’s ongoing work of reconciliation, communion and the renewal of creation.
By fostering fraternity and transforming relationships from the ground up, the culture of encounter makes the civilization of love a concrete task to be lived here and now, contributing to a more just, peaceful and inclusive world.
(The full presentation in English is attached to this summary)