Secretary General

Professor Mark Owen

secretariat[at]rfpeurope.org

Secretary General – Religions for Peace Europe
Director of the Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace – University of Winchester
Secretary General – European Council of Religious Leaders
Trustee – Religions for Peace UK
Chairperson – Freedom to Learn

Prof. Mark Owen holds a BA in Theology and Religious Studies, MA in World Religions, and PhD in Tibetan Buddhism. He has extensive experience of working with interfaith and multi-faith organisations, and an academic and practical background in religious peacebuilding.  Mark has carried out religious peacebuilding research and practice across Europe and South Asia. His interests also include Religion and Conflict Analysis, Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Buddhist approaches to Conflict Transformation.

Operations & Governance Manager

Rebecca Bellamy

Rebecca supports the development and implementation of organisational strategy, providing support to the Secretary General in the planning and facilitation of programmes, projects and meetings, including collaboration with other regional and international partners. She provides organisational operational management and coordination of key governance processes.

Rebecca also works for the Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace at the University of Winchester, was previously Secretariat Manager for the European Council of Religious Leaders  2016-2021 for which she organised many international meetings and conferences. Prior to this she managed an award-winning Muslim-Jewish charity in the UK. She currently represents Quakers in Britain to the Quaker Council of European Affairs in Brussels and serves as General Secretary to Faith in Europe, a body in association with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

Partnerships Development Officer

Rev. Peter Jörgensen

Peter supports the secretary general in the development of interreligious cooperation work between religions as relevant civil society actors and the political institutions at the European level. Identifying opportunities for participation of RfP Europe in European political discourses where they align with the key priorities of Religions for Peace. Peter is based at our central administrative office in Berlin. He has been instrumental in establishing the practical functions of our Association in Germany.

Peter also holds the role of Scientific Assistant, Religious Education & Didactics of Religious Education- University of Augsburg. He previously coordinated the Association of Evangelical Free Churches (VEF) and also served as Commissioner at the seat of the federal government, as German representative at the World Assembly for Religions for Peace 2019.

Project Officer

Marike Van Bentum

Marike is working at the Berlin office of Religions For Peace Europe e.V. since January 2023, where she supports the secretariat and coordinates the Berlin Senate’s Metropolitan Regions project together with the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Marike studied International Relations and Public Law at the University of Erfurt. In her various positions at the Foundation Peace Dialogue of the World Religions and Civil Society (Ring for Peace), she helped organise the three conferences of Religions for Peace in Lindau (Lake Constance) in 2019 – 2021. Afterwards she worked as a program coordinator for the German Federal Foreign Office in the International Diplomats Training Division. Most recently, Marike was able to contribute to the implementation of various international conferences and mediation formats focused on peace and stability while working at the German Society for International Cooperation (giz).