Global Catholic Voices Affirm and Advance Pope Leo’s Vision of An “Unarmed and Disarming” Church through Gospel Nonviolence

By Ken Butigan, Marie Dennis, Nicolás Paz and Eli McCarthy

Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence holds ten-day training and conference in Rome, culminating in pilgrimage to Assisi committing to peace and nonviolence around the world in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare.

After ten days of formation in Gospel nonviolence and a two-day conference on Unarmed and Disarming Peace, Catholic leaders from around the world gathered at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi to receive the “luce di San Francesco,” as a sign of their commitment to carry the light of Jesus’ nonviolence into a world marked by war and conflict.

The September 2-11 gathering, organized by The Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, a project of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, was inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call from the very first moment of his pontificate for people worldwide to become unarmed and disarming peacemakers.

The assembly received a message of support from Pope Leo, who encouraged the participants to continue their mission of promoting throughout the world a culture of peace, justice and reconciliation, rooted in the Gospel. The pope’s message was delivered by Archbishop Giovanni Ricchiuti, president of Pax Christi Italy.

Responding to global violence

At a moment when humanity faces escalating wars, militarization, nuclear threats, ecological collapse, forced displacement, and deepening polarization, conference participants shared a hunger for hope over fear, love over hate, dialogue over domination, peace over war, and nonviolence over violence.

The conference was deeply impacted by the concrete experiences of participants from 55 countries, many in communities facing geopolitical threats and violence, including Palestine, South Sudan, Cameroon, Colombia and Guatemala.

Integrating Nonviolence worldwide

Participants emphasized the importance of education and formation in Gospel nonviolence throughout the Church, in seminaries, universities, schools, and parishes, with a special focus on youth and young adults.

Theologians, practitioners, researchers, peacebuilders, activists, and Church leaders present discussed the most recent interdisciplinary research on the effectiveness of nonviolent action. Among conference topics were: nonviolent strategies such as civilian based defense in the the context of war; migration and active nonviolence in the context of democratic backsliding; unarmed civilian protection (UCP); nonviolent strategies to protect the land, water, culture; “legitimate defense” in the nonviolence paradigm; and approaches to promoting nonviolence in contexts of “everyday” structural and cultural violence.

Reflections on the “Doctrine of Gospel Nonviolence,” on “Moving Nonviolence to the Heart of the Catholic Church” and on the “Significance of the Catholic Church’s Embrace of Gospel Nonviolence” helped ground the conversation during the two-day meeting. The conference emphasized that the urgency of our historical moment demands more than condemning war or trying to limit violence. It calls for a comprehensive vision capable of preventing violence before it erupts, healing wounds, protecting human dignity, transforming conflicts without violence, and building just and lasting peace.

Myanmar Cardinal’s prophetic call

In his message to the conference, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, a nation beset by war and tremendous violence, declared, “We need a new paradigm. Nonviolent strategies are not a lack of defense; they are a more effective form of defense. We operationalize legitimate defence today through civilian-based defence, unarmed civilian protection, and active nonviolent resistance.”