The Schools of Pardon and Reconciliation (ES.PE.RE in Portuguese) are a proposal for community service through which participants are helped to make an ethical reading of their feelings of resentment caused by aggressions against them.
By directly working with feelings of anger, hatred, bitterness and desire for revenge – in groups of 10 to 15 people who are willing to undergo this process guided by an animator – this proposal seeks to contribute to building a culture of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation in a world dominated by violence.
ES.PE.RE are therefore a valuable contribution to the social richness of the people, to the extent that they become a form of mediation that acts as a filter in cases of violence, while at the same time contributing to the prevention of violence.
By cooperating in this area of Forgiveness and Reconciliation – helping people to reconcile with each other, with themselves, with their history and with the world around them – is something that fits with the core charisma of the Handmaids and responds to the calls of the last General Congregations for the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation.