Nicolás Paz, Director of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI), warns that nuclear rearmament is a serious threat to humanity. In an interview with ACI Prensa, he criticised increasing military spending, calling it “absolutely incoherent” and noting that nuclear rearmament is often seen as the “most rational” solution, while nonviolence is being dismissed as naive.

Nicolás Paz also expressed concern over rising defence budgets in Europe, highlighting the European Commission’s announcement of the “European rearmament era,” adding that Europe’s current path contradicts the founding principles of the EU.

This move highlights the prevailing belief in mainstream politics that “violence is a tool that works,” says Paz. However, the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence relies on various academic studies that suggest the opposite. He mentions research by experts Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan from Columbia University, which highlights the success of nonviolent resistance campaigns.

Marie Dennis, Director of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, is also a key voice in the anti-war movement. Dennis has extensive experience in advocating for nonviolence, even in the face of repression and torture, and has seen firsthand that the most successful social movements are those that adhere to the discipline of nonviolence.

Nicolás Paz warns that the real debate is not between violence and nonviolence, but between “total annihilation or nonviolence.”

Read the full interview here.

Ph. © Victoria Cardiel/ EWTN News