Reconciliation has a variety of meanings to different individuals and groups. Many think of it as something “that takes place quickly and then everyone moves on. It is basically a ‘kiss and make up’ event.” Yet this shallow approach seldom succeeds. Others see reconciliation as being the same as forgiveness, but that creates a different set of problems. True reconciliation takes a long time and must be constantly nurtured to last.

War—a failure of politics—can be seen as one of the most disastrous of disagreements. Reconciliation, on the other hand, “is the maturity of politics.”

“That is the heart of the dilemma over reconciliation. It is treated as unattainable, not least because it is so misunderstood. Like many virtues, reconciliation and peace are idealized in imagination, politically unexamined in applied theory, and ignored in practice.”

Reconciliation is not easy, even for people who write entire books on the subject. Such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who resigned last week in the wake of an independent report that he had taken insufficient action in response to a longtime sexual abuse scandal in the church. The news broke just as I was finishing the Archbishop’s challenging book examining paths to bringing people together in ways that promote peace, sustainability, and agreeable disagreements. The news confirmed, in many ways, how difficult reconciliation can be in a world where institutions and power are often prioritized over spiritual and humanitarian concerns. It also confirmed that the Archbishop is human.

The Power of Reconciliation (2022) by Justin Welby was published for the 2022 Lambeth Conference, when bishops from around the world assembled in Canterbury. As Archbishop, Welby was the spiritual leader of a diverse worldwide communion of 85 million Anglicans who share a common faith but have sharp disagreements. The book largely draws from his experience as Co-Director of the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral and addresses the issues of peacemaking for facilitators of community and societal, rather than religious, issues. It is challenging in its message and, at times, in its applicability to issues more relatable to the common reader. However, in tackling an issue that is front-and-center in today’s fractured world, it is also vitally important and useful.

Welby approaches this topic in three parts. First, he examines the nature of reconciliation and the barriers to its realization. His definition is right up front: “Reconciliation is disagreeing well.” Shallow agreements, resignation to the universal nature of conflict, pride, unrestrained power grabs, and a lack of moral imagination are among the barriers to reconciliation. This isn’t about papering over differences. Peace, Welby notes, “is not found by avoiding conflict but by disagreeing well.”

The second section is the one I found most challenging when considering issues I see at home. Welby draws on his international experience to work through a process or pattern for facilitators that he helpfully organizes around six words that being with the letter R: researching, relating, relieving need, risking, reconciling over the long journey, and resourcing for that timeframe. There are helpful and thoughtful examples and suggestions throughout, sprinkled with enough humorous asides to remind you this isn’t a textbook.

Finally, part III looks at the practical by asking the question, “What can I do about it?” The principles here, as in the rest of the book, can be applied to a wide range of conflicts.

It is easy for one to say that reconciliation in this world is impossible and that we should just accept conflict. But one example Welby provides—the building of a 75-year peaceful coexistence between France and Germany beginning in 1945 after a century dominated by three disastrous wars on a continent that was reeling—reminds us that the difficult is not impossible. But in our current authoritarian uprising at home and across the globe, we are also reminded that nothing, including peace across Europe that has led to a strong economy and much greater security, can last forever.

We have in The Power of Reconciliation a challenging message about an intractable subject delivered by a flawed man. Why consider it? Because, as Welby and others note, we have no viable alternative.

More to come . . .

DJB

Photo by Nsey Benajah on Unsplash