The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and its Catholic Institute for Nonviolence participated in the European Academy of Religion 2025 Conference, held from 7–12 July in Vienna

Wolfgang Palaver, co-convener of the Gospel Nonviolence Section of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, and Nicolás Paz, Director of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, joined a panel on Interreligious Initiative for Nonviolence Theology: Limits and Horizons of Nonviolence. The panel aimed to foster the growth of an international working group on “Interreligious Theology of Nonviolence,” which was formally established after the conference.

The discussion explored questions such as:

  • What are the boundaries of nonviolence?

  • How can it be made effective?

  • How can we embody hope?

  • How can theologies foster meaning and life rather than death and destruction?

  • How can we endure the devastation of war while maintaining our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity?

  • What strategies can we adopt to resist ethically and humanely, ensuring we are not consumed by hatred, anger, or despair?

The panel sought to articulate in Vienna a credible ethical stance rooted in faith traditions, demonstrating solidarity with those who suffer and are dehumanized.

Wolfgang Palaver presented how, from an anthropological perspective, nonviolence must be understood against the backdrop of the contagious nature of violence, and how the Gospels acknowledge this insight while offering a way out of the cycle of violence.

Nicolás Paz explained how diverse religious practices, objects, rituals, symbols, spaces, narratives, discourses, and embodiments contribute to and shape nonviolent action across the world and among different faiths. He defended the possibility of building an interreligious dialogue and theology of nonviolence from the lived practices and experiences of grassroots nonviolence. In addition, he highlighted the valuable contribution of religious studies to nonviolence, not only at the theoretical and conceptual level, but also in practical ways that can expand the effective possibilities of nonviolence in a violent world.

The panel’s insights and collaborations marked another step forward in building a shared interreligious commitment to a world free from violence.