Laura Vargas Valcárcel
Peruvian Bishops’ Social Action Commission

 

 

Laura Vargas is the adjunct executive secretary for CEAS (Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social): Peruvian Bishops’ Social Action Commission. She is a Peruvian lay theologian with studies in theology and education and with a specialization in the social sciences. During 17 years she worked with poor women in literacy programs in the northern section of Lima, and at the same time she was pastoral coordinator (Gemeindereferant) in several parishes.

Since 1989 she has been working in CEAS: for the first two years as the head of the human rights program, and then for 16 years as Executive Secretary of the institution. Since August of last year she occupies the position of Adjunct Executive Director and is head of the Church social teaching program.

Since leaving her position as Executive Director of CEAS, she has gone on to be the general coordinator of the whole Social Area of the Peruvian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CEP). She is a member of two teams run by the Department of Justice and Solidarity of the Latin American Bishops’ Council (CELAM) in Bogotá: the Human Rights Team and the Church social teaching Team.

Laura Vargas is also the executive secretary of the Peruvian Inter-religious Council, which is the Peruvian Chapter of the international Religions for Peace. She is part of the team which carries out Schools for Pardon and Reconciliation (ESPERE) sponsored in Peru by the Jesuit University, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya.

Finally, Laura is vice-president of Pax Christi International whose headquarters are in Brussels.