The South American nation of Colombia continues to attract our attention as the place in Latin America where Mennonites and Catholics are cooperating most regularly in peacemaking projects. An event organized by the Colombian Bible Society recently turned to a Mennonite and a Catholic for two of its three major presentations. A news service associated with the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) reports:
In Colombia, theologians discuss Justice and Forgiveness from the Perspective of the Gospel
Monday, October 27, 2008 (ALC) – On Friday, October 24, the Colombian Bible Society, together with representatives from various universities and religious and political denominations, who are aware of and committed to the need to bring about peace in Colombia, joined efforts to hold a forum on Justice and Forgiveness from the Perspective of the Gospel. The gathering took place in the Elliptic Hall of the National Congress.
A lecture on “Justice and Forgiveness, a Truth for Reconciliation: An Old Testament View,” was presented by Fernando Mosquera Brand, a philosophy and religious sciences graduate. Mosquera, who also has a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate in philosophy, is the author of a number of books, among which are, Christianity, Justice and Peace; Utopia, Ethics and Hope, and; Citizenship and the Kingdom of God, and a professor at the Biblical University Seminary Foundation of Colombia.
In turn, Roberto Caicedo, a chemical engineer at the University del Valle and a biblical sciences graduate of the Latin American Biblical University of San Jose, Costa Rica, lectured on, “Forgiveness, a Path Toward Peace: A New Testament View.” Caicedo has a master’s degree in theology from the Javeriana Pontifical University and is a professor at the University del Rosario. He is pastor of the Mennonite Church in Ciudad Berna in the Colombian capital of Bogotá.
Also lecturing was Father Humberto Jiménez, a professor of philosophy at the Major Seminary of Medellín, theology graduate of the Gregorian Pontifical University of Rome, and a Bible ecclesiastic of the Biblical Institute of Rome. Jiménez spoke on “Justice and Forgiveness in the Colombian Reality: A Biblical Contribution.” He also holds an honorary doctorate from the Bolivarian Pontifical University, and did the Greek translation of the Books of the Maccabees for the revised ecumenical version of the “God Speaks Today” Bible, publisher by the United Bible Societies. Fr. Jiménez is also the author of books such as, “Water: Life or Death?” published in 1994.
The conclusions reached during the forum were commented on by pastor and sociologist Edgar Castaño, of the Central Baptist Church and member of the Board of Directors of the Colombian Bible Society, and also by Fr. Tarsicio Gaitán, a Bible graduate of the Biblical Institute of Rome, a theology graduate of the Javeriana Pontifical University, and professor a the Bolivarian Pontifical University.
During the forum, the Colombian Bible Society received an award granted by the National Congress, at the initiative of Evangelical Senator Edgar Espíndola Niño. The award was received by Dr. Antonio Lara, President of the Bible Society, which has completed more than 200 years of service to the churches.
Source: Latin America and Caribbean Communication Agency,
http://alcnoticias.com/interior.php?codigo=12691&lang=688