March 6, 2026. Loyola University Chicago and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCAL) will organize the International Encounter for Peace and Reconciliation, an international academic event that will bring together students, faculty, and specialists from the Americas to engage in dialogue on concrete pathways for building peace.

The encounter will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Loyola University Chicago’s Lake Shore Campus, and represents the second stage of the Building Bridges Initiative, a dialogue process promoted by the PCAL that seeks to create spaces for exchange among the Church, universities, and social actors across the continent.

This new phase especially invites university students and scholars to reflect, from an interdisciplinary perspective, on the main contemporary challenges related to peace and reconciliation. The methodology includes preparatory virtual sessions and structured in-person dialogues inspired by the model of “Conversations in the Spirit,” aimed at fostering listening and the development of concrete proposals.

The event is jointly organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Loyola University Chicago, with the endorsement of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Synod Secretariat, and the University Network for the Care of Our Common Home, through the Institute for Pastoral Studies, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Division of Mission Integration, and the Department of Theology. It is supported by the Lilly Foundation (Haciendo Caminos Fellowship) and the collaboration of several international academic institutions.

The International Encounter for Peace and Reconciliation aims to strengthen continental networks of academic and social cooperation, promoting constructive dialogue among disciplines, cultures, and the diverse realities of the Americas.

Registration: luc.edu/ccih