Ken Butigan, Executive Committee Member of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and Coordinating Committee Member of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, has compiled a compendium of Pope Francis’ use of the term “nonviolence” in statements, interviews, and other papal-related texts in English from 2013 to 2025.

The text strives to document Pope Francis’ mention of “nonviolence” during his pontificate. This collection of texts can offer us an understanding of the pope’s perspective on nonviolence and its relationship to the Gospel, peace, justice, and the challenges of our times. The spirit or dynamic of nonviolence is found throughout Pope Francis’ pontificate, including in the encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti and especially when Pope Francis has condemned “just war” and lamented the horrors of the wars around the world. These are not reproduced here when they are not using the word “nonviolence.”

Cover picture by Dmitrii E. on Unsplash