Maria Laura Vargas Valcárcel has served as Executive Secretary of the Interreligious Council of Peru and co-Secretary of the Judeo-Christian Fellowship since 2009. She brings 30 years’ experience working with the Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social (CEAS) of the Catholic Church of Peru, 16 of which was as Executive Secretary; following this post, she was asked to assume the area of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Previously she served as Coordinator of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Columban Fathers, a missionary society; as Member of the Executive Committee and Vice President of Pax Christi International; and supported adult literacy programmes in Lima Norte for 17 years.
She continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of World Vision Peru, as a member of Pax Christi Peru, as head of the human rights team of the El Departamento de Justicia y Solidaridad (DEJUSOL) del Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano (CELAM)—Secretariado Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Cáritas (SELACC), as a member of the Red Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Pensamiento Social de la Iglesia (REDLAPSI), as a member of the Commission of Presidential Prerogatives as well as Counselor of the Reparation Council within the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. She holds a degree in Theology and a degree in Education with a specialty in social sciences.
