We’re pleased to share that Nicolás Paz, Director of our Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, contributed to Issue 58 of Pax Scotia, the newsletter of Pax Christi Scotland.

In this compelling article, Nicolás Paz offers a deep reflection on the renewed significance of the Church’s Social Doctrine and the role of Gospel nonviolence in shaping a just and loving world. With the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who has placed the Social Doctrine at the heart of his papacy, Nicolás invites readers to consider what it means to build an “unarmed and disarming peace.”

Drawing from Church teaching, recent papal messages, and the lived experience of peace practitioners, he writes:

Gospel Nonviolence is a spirituality, a way of life, a method for social change, and a potential universal ethics. It is Jesus’ love in action. The ultimate aim of the Church’s Social Doctrine is the construction of the Civilization of Love. Active nonviolence -through the experience of practitioners and the best academic research- offers effective strategies, methods, and tools to organise hope towards that civilization.

This timely piece also highlights the work of Pax Christi’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and the newly launched Catholic Institute for Nonviolence in Rome, both committed to placing Jesus’ nonviolence at the centre of the Church’s mission.

We warmly encourage you to read the full piece here or on Pax Christi Scotland’s website.