Antoine Jaulmes graduated in 1981 as an engineer from the Paris School of Mines. After military service, he worked for one year with Moral Re-Armament in France, the USA and Canada. Since 1983, he has been an engineer with PSA Peugeot Citroën, holding various positions in production and R and D. He was particularly happy to be called twice to join the team launching a new car assembly plant, once in France and once in Slovakia. He is currently vice-president of the French Initiatives of Change board and a member of the Council of the Swiss Foundation Caux-Initiatives of Change. His interests include inter religious dialogue, reconciliation and, at heart, the mechanisms of change in professional as well as personal life; these interests are mirrored in the various articles and editorials published in Initiatives of Change publications as well as other media. His wife Johanna de Boer is Dutch; they have four children. The family is strongly connected to the Netherlands as well as France and shares the same interest in the work of Initiatives of Change.

Anger and grief are still the daily bread of millions; at Christmas, I cannot help but think of the dire situation in and around the Holy Land. This area deserves to experiment with the joy of reconciliation.

What better tribute could there be to veterans and victims of all wars, civil wars, genocides and other atrocities than a day of joint remembrance of all these tragedies?

All believers and non-believers will need to see that their joint responsibility is to heal relationships and to build trust here and now.

When can we really meet different cultures and share openly what our respective hopes and fears are?

No wonder that an inter-national team has convened in Paris around a few concerned citizens working for an end to civil war in Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, the so-called ‘Great Lakes’ region of Africa.