South African Dominican says serving with U.N. is way to evangelize

Published: 2006-07-14

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- Serving in a peacekeeping role for the United Nations is also a way to evangelize, said a South African Dominican priest who worked as a U.N. staffer in conflict zones. "This is a new type of mission for the church. (A) priest of the 21st century has to be different and flexible," Father Brian Williams told Catholic News Service. "Pope John Paul II spoke of the new evangelization -- finding new methods of expression for an old message -- the good news. That is what we are doing by being engaged in international peacekeeping and conflict resolution," he said. Father Williams spent three years working with U.N. peacekeeping missions in hot spots like Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kosovo and Afghanistan and has worked with international diplomatic and peace groups in Africa. He spoke with CNS in Colombo in late June while attending the Caritas Internationalis peace forum, where he helped draft a new peace manual for Caritas workers in conflict zones.

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