This essay argues that challenges to peace are one of the important long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents how violent conflict has been worsened by illegal armed actors using the pandemic to increase their strength, peace processes stalling or backsliding, and political strongmen exploiting the pandemic to consolidate power. In areas where these things are occurring, Catholic actors are responding with peacebuilding approaches. And the Catholic Church is particularly well-positioned to address these challenges effectively because of its distinct capacity for vertical and horizontal integration, its rooted presence in local communities, and the conceptual frameworks found in Catholic social teaching and Church teaching on integral human development. The essay claims that Catholic leaders need to leverage these strengths in order to reinforce peacebuilding work and to promote sustainable long-term pandemic recovery.

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