New York City, N.Y., Aug 2, 2016 / 23:45 pm
Grassroots movements, local communities, and faith-based organizations – especially the Catholic Church – have an important role to play in building peace and preventing conflict in Africa, said a Holy See representative.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the apostolic nuncio leading the Holy See's permanent observer mission to the United Nations, spoke July 28 to an open session of the U.N. Security Council on peace building in Africa.
Faith-based and grassroots groups have "concrete knowledge of local realities" and immediate interactions with locals, the archbishop said.
"They empower individuals and societies at a local level, identify and nurture new leaders, and rally communities to work together for the greater human good. They get results that local individuals and communities can easily relate to and identify with."