Pax Christi International’s Peace Award 2024 was awarded to the Haitian Justice and Peace Commission (JILAP), represented by Father Jan Hanssens, in the name of Jocelyne Colas, Executive Director who, as well as many other Haitians, were rejected the visa to attend this important celebration – and Sister Gladis Montesinos, a Peruvian Carmelite missionary accompanying the Tsimane Indigenous Community threatened by landlords for defending their land and their culture.
The award ceremony took place in Cali, Colombia, on 28th October 2024, on the sides of the COP 16 on Biodiversity, in the presence of Bishop (Em.) Marc Stenger, PCI co-president, Martha Inés Romero, Secretary-General, and Alejandro Garcia Pedraza, Latin America and Caribbean Program Officer.
Through a ‘Ritual for life in Harmony’, we honoured the remarkable contributions of JILAP and Sister Gladys Montesinos to peace and justice, celebrating their relentless efforts in promoting peace, nonviolence, and protection of the Creation.
Sister Gladis said the award she received is a way of “showing the Tsimanes that they are not alone in their struggle” – as the group has not even gained recognition by “I have been living and working with them in order to listen to them. My goal is not to take an evangelizing script and catechize them. They already live many evangelical values, including peace.”
Jocelyne Colas couldn’t attend the event as her visa was denied and the award was received by her Justice and Peace Commission colleague Father Jan Hanssens. JILAP’s mission is to work for and with the most vulnerable in society, as Haiti now faces a multifaceted crisis, and as Haitian refugees fleeing the violence face hatred in neighbouring countries.
Martha Inés Romero emphasised that these two women have been facing situations of violence with a lot of empathy and bravery, and the recognition from the award extends to the large communities behind them.
