Peacebuilding, Mining, and Integral Human Development
The Catholic Church stands at a critical crossroads in responding to the devastating impact of increased mineral extraction worldwide. A global gathering in Bogotá in June 2025, co-sponsored by the LSRI, will examine how the Church can respond to an increase in mining - and confront the impact of investment decisions made by Churches in the Global North.
Photo: Peru, copyright Javier Arrellano Yanguas
The transition to renewable energy, the increase in electronic consumption, and military expansion pose a global pressure on mineral extraction - and, in turn, a unique threat to integral peace, integral human development, and integral ecology. The increase in mining must come with serious reflections on all the aspects involved: human rights violations, forced displacement, violence, loss of livelihood, exploitation - among others. Here, the Church can be a key contributor.
These premises are the building blocks of Peacebuilding, Mining, and Integral Human Development, which will take place in Bogotá, Colombia, in June 2025, hosted by the Javeriana University in Bogotá and Caritas Colombia. The conference is the result of a year-long partnership between the LSRI and the Catholic Peace-Building Network at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. "It has been extremely enriching," says Séverine Deneulin, Director of International Development at the LSRI, "to hear the experiences of Catholic responses to mining in the Philippines, India, DRC, Brazil, Honduras, Peru, Colombia and other countries. I am looking forward to meeting in person for the first time people I have been working with online for a year."
The conference will be an opportunity for Catholic peacebuilders from these different countries to compare lessons learned and best practices, as well as work together towards a strategic and unified peacebuilding network. "Mining," Deneulin continues, "has become a critical issue for the Church, with devastating consequences for the lives of people and ecosystems where minerals are located, and for lives further afield given the interconnection of ecosystems."
Photo: Edgar Antonio Lopez, Women washing clothes in Chocó (Colombia) before gold mining exploitation started
With this perspective, the conference will cover discussions on mining-related topics such as armed actors, community engagement, the unique needs of women, and the role of a synodal Church for the protection of human rights and ecosystems. The discussion will be accompanied by a Guidance Document that will offer an overview on the business of mining, the interconnected issues that arise, and how Catholic Social Teaching provides reflections and action points to make informed decisions. Overall, the project aims to create a network of reflection and action with a recognition of the Church's distinct assets, community presence, and global influence.
"We hope this meeting will be a springboard for radical and prophetic action," concludes Deneulin. "Everything is connected is a thread running throughout Laudato Si’. Investment and consumption decisions in Global North churches have massive consequences that people are often not aware of. The Church is in a unique position to build the coalitions needed and integrate grassroots concerns with global policy platforms."
The Catholic Church and Mining is one of the LSRI's research projects. To read more:
