Part I: Reconciliation

Reconciliation is often regarded as an elusive and at times controversial concept. Nevertheless, reconciliation does occur in fractured societies arising from conflict, repression, and widespread human rights violations. Reconciliation starts with the acknowledgment of our shared and common humanity and dignity. Forgiving means that we are acknowledging that the other side is also human and that their children and ours deserve to live safely and peacefully. It involves building or rebuilding relationships toward a peaceful coexistence and an ongoing healing process as we will explore in the ensuing chapters, for example in the context of post-legalized slavery, post-apartheid, the trauma of the Balkans War, and the first signs of change in the Catholic Church tackling widespread and systematic clerical abuses. Reconciliation may take the form of a set of complex processes that could take generations, and which depends not only on the state, social organizations, but also on the agency and inclusive leadership and courageous followership of individuals.