Pax Christi appeals to 杏MAP导航 and Synod to help Church embrace nonviolence
By Devin Watkins
鈥淣onviolence is not idealistic, only challenging.鈥�
In a world marked by wars and polarization, the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative marks out a path toward a better way to resolve conflict and hatred.
The project overseen by Pax Christi International has taken the message of nonviolence to the Synod General Assembly and 杏MAP导航 Francis.
In an appeal, Catholic Nonviolence lamented the violence experienced in many parts of the world, especially in Israel and Palestine, Ukraine, Syria, and Sudan.
The appeal urged Synod members and the 杏MAP导航 to invite 鈥渢he universal Church to integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into its life鈥�.
The Initiative also requested a 鈥渞obust description of nonviolence, key nonviolent practices, and the norms of a just peace ethic鈥� to become part of official Church teaching, including an addition of the subject into the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
A Christian way of living
In an interview with Vatican News, Marie Dennis, senior director of the Initiative, shed light on the goals of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and how 杏MAP导航 Francis has called the world to nonviolence.
The Initiative was born after a 2016 conference hosted in Rome by Pax Christi and the then-Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which brought together people seeking to employ nonviolent tools in local communities.
鈥淲e began listening to stories at a grassroots level by people who have been using nonviolent approaches in really dangerous situations successfully,鈥� said Ms. Dennis.
The initiative seeks to engage in active dialogue with all levels of the Church, from the Holy See and dioceses to Catholic universities and local Church communities.
The purpose, said Ms. Dennis, is to invite the Church 鈥渢o understand nonviolence more deeply and to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence, believing that nonviolence was a central message of the Gospel and a way that Jesus lived.鈥�
Nonviolence or non-violence?
Nonviolence, according to Ms. Dennis, is different than pacifism and is more than an absence of violence, which is implied by the spelling of the word with a hyphen: 鈥渘on-violence鈥�.
鈥淲e're talking about nonviolence as a spirituality and a way of life,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut also as a broad spectrum of tools to prevent violence, interrupt violence, and to build societies that function peacefully and support everybody's right to a dignified life.鈥�
Nonviolence, then, spelled without the hyphen, offers a positive and active approach to promote peace.
杏MAP导航鈥檚 support for nonviolence
According to Ms. Dennis, nonviolence is not a utopian ideal but rather a long-term solution to the conflicts rending our world today.
鈥淲hen you look at the state of the world, including the most recent horrors in the Middle East,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hat I think is becoming more and more evident is that nonviolence is the only way forward, that we will never get out of the situations we're in by using more weapons.鈥�
She upheld , which bore the title 鈥淣onviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace鈥�, as well as his prayer intention for April 2023, which was 鈥淔or a nonviolent culture鈥�.
鈥淲e believe that framing some of what 杏MAP导航 Francis is calling for in the language and understanding of nonviolence can help people imagine how we get to the peaceful world that he is pointing us to,鈥� said Ms. Dennis. 鈥淎nd that's an important contribution of nonviolence.鈥�
Reforming violent mentalities
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative believes that people can be formed and taught to use nonviolent methods to resolve conflict.
Ms. Dennis offered the example of a young man from Sudan who had been involved in a militia a few years ago.
Despite being 鈥渨ell into a violent response鈥� to his situation, the young man attended courses at university in Nairobi, Kenya, among which was a class on peace-building that focused on nonviolent strategies.
After the course, he gave up his former way of life in a Sudanese militia, bearing witness at a recent Pax Christi conference that his life changed after he 鈥渓earned to solve problems without violence.鈥�
鈥淲hat we're talking about is a cultural shift to build relationships that are respectful and careful between humans, and between humans and the earth, for that matter,鈥� said Ms. Dennis.
Tools for conflict-resolution even at young age
As any parent knows, children can embrace violence鈥攅ven starting with the simple act of shoving a classmate in response to a perceived slight鈥攁t a young age if exposed to it in school.
Education and formation in early childhood, therefore, are important tools for teaching younger generations to 鈥渟hape a way of living that is respectful of other living beings,鈥� according to Ms. Dennis.
She pointed to the example of a short video her granddaughter had made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a teacher in a Montessori school, she taught two young students how to deal with an interpersonal conflict.
鈥淭hey were really upset and angry at each other,鈥� said Ms. Dennis. 鈥淎nd it was beautiful to see that there were actually tools that they could use to each exert their own wishes and speak their truth and come to some kind of a resolution.鈥�
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