About Us
Pax Christi International is a Catholic peace movement with 120 member organisations worldwide that promotes peace, respect of human rights, justice & reconciliation throughout the world.
Grounded in the belief that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken, Pax Christi International addresses the root causes & destructive consequences of violent conflict and war.
Pax Christi International is a global Catholic peace movement working worldwide to establish:
- Peace,
- Respect for Human Rights
- Justice and Reconciliation
Pax Christi was founded in Europe in 1945 as a reconciliation movement bringing together French and Germans after World War II. Today, the movement has 120 Member Organisations active in more than 50 countries worldwide. Pax Christi is a member organisation led movement, comprised of national sections and local groups, all carrying the Pax Christi name, and also of affiliated organisations that work under their own names.
Pax Christi operates as an autonomous Catholic entity in which laypeople, bishops, and other religious members work as equals in pursuit of peace and reconciliation. As a faith-based Catholic movement, Pax Christi‘s efforts to resolve conflicts are informed by a deep understanding of both the positive and negative impact of religion. Pax Christi brings the voice of civil society to the Catholic Church, and conversely carries the values of the Catholic Church to civil society.
Pax Christi International has four core means of engagement:
- Facilitate growth and integration of the international movement (networking),
- Coordinate and represent the global movement in all its breadth on the international stage (advocacy),
- Build capacity of member organisations for nonviolent peace work (capacity building), and
- Nurture spirituality through the articulation of a vibrant spirituality.
A key role of Pax Christi International is to represent the movement in international coalitions and to be an influential advocate at intergovernmental levels. Our capacity to influence global peace policy is amplified by our considerable access to policymaking forums:
- Pax Christi International holds special consultative status with the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna, as well as with UNESCO in Paris;
- Pax Christi International is officially represented at the African Union in Addis Ababa; and
- Pax Christi participates in the Council of Europe and enjoys, along with its Member Organisations, access to the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Pax Christi International is grounded in the belief that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken.
Pax Christi International Contact Information:
Office of the International Secretariat
Avenue de la Reine 141
1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 2 502 55 50