The Seminar Series on Nonviolence concluded by urging the Church to play a leading role in nurturing a global shift in our culture
Pax Christi’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence concluded its transformative series with insights into the Church’s role in promoting nonviolence. The seminars demonstrated nonviolence’s effectiveness across conflicts and called for the Church to lead in shaping a global culture of peace through education and training
(Rome, October 25th, 2024) – Pax Christi’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence concluded its inaugural seminar series, The Power of Active Nonviolence: Transforming the Church, Changing the World, with the final session, “The Role of the Church in Nurturing a Global Nonviolent Shift”. This month-long exploration aimed to place nonviolence at the heart of the Church’s mission, examining its importance as both a spiritual foundation and a practical tool for societal transformation.
The four sessions marked the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence’s inaugural project, addressing core dimensions of nonviolence lifted by the 2023 Synod’s Synthesis Report. These included managing conflict in a nonviolent way and understanding nonviolence in the context of legitimate self-defense. The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative advocates that nonviolence should be central to the Church’s teachings on self-defense, aligning with its century-long development of a comprehensive case against war.
A Call to Rekindle Compassion: Francis’ Vision for a Heartfelt Response to Global Suffering
The latest seminar comes just after the publication of the Pope’s latest encyclical, which also, among other things, alluded to the importance of this cultural change in the management of violence and conflict. In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis presented the Sacred Heart as a remedy for our world’s indifference and complicity in the suffering caused by war and conflicts. His portrayal of the heart calls for nonviolent solidarity and active compassion as essential steps toward healing global division and the heartlessness of conflict. Francis condemns the “piecemeal” violence and the suffering it inflicts worldwide—from wars and terrorism to human trafficking and environmental devastation. He questioned whether violence can achieve any lasting goal, highlighting instead its role in fueling cycles of retaliation that serve only a few powerful interests. The Pope’s call is for a world that rejects these destructive cycles, rooted in the belief that true peace and progress cannot arise from violence.
Recapping the Journey: A Comprehensive Exploration of Nonviolence and the Church’s Role
Along the series, nonviolence was addressed from multiple perspectives. The initial sessions presented it as a faithful and effective approach to managing conflicts, with case studies demonstrating its impact in communities from Latin America to East Africa. These examples underscored how nonviolent action is a viable and effective alternative to traditional defense mechanisms, even within contexts of active armed conflict. Speakers highlighted practical applications of nonviolence that bridge local and international spheres, showing how grassroots initiatives can inspire global change.
The final seminar discussed the Church’s responsibility to foster a cultural shift by integrating nonviolent practices into education, training, and evangelization. Anna Blackman, PhD, Lecturer, in Catholic Religious Education (University of Glasgow) emphasized that revisiting the Church’s four marks — one, holy, catholic, and apostolic — reveals a deeply rooted commitment to nonviolence: “To state that we are ‘one’ Church, united in solidarity in the Body of Christ, has profound implications for our witness.” She highlighted how each mark implicitly calls for a life rooted in peace and nonviolence.
Leo Guardado, PhD, Assistant Professor of Theology at Fordham University, echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the Church’s global identity could be renewed through nonviolent evangelization. “Only by rethinking the Church’s missionary activity through nonviolence can we truly witness to a God who, though suffering a violent death, rejected violence as the last word,” he stated. Guardado’s insights call for reimagining evangelization to strengthen the Church’s credibility as a beacon of peace and justice.
In turn, Ken Butigan, PhD, Professor of Practice in the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program at DePaul University, stressed that to genuinely support peace, nations should prioritize learning from global nonviolent movements rather than contributing to cycles of armed conflict. He noted that nonviolence offers “the only viable way to bridge deep, historic divides and to construct a more just and sustainable life,” a powerful shift away from military reliance toward collaboration with grassroots peacebuilders. Butigan encouraged a commitment to understanding the power of nonviolent strategies, which, through unity and resilience, can create lasting change where traditional methods have failed.
Pietro Ameglio, Gandhian civil rights and peace activist, leading theorist and practitioner of nonviolent social movements in Mexico, and professor at La Salle University, made a bold appeal, calling on the Pope to go to Gaza and inviting all of us to accompany him.
The series reinforced the Church’s potential to lead in promoting nonviolence on a global scale. Speakers called for greater investment in training, media outreach, and educational initiatives that empower communities to embrace nonviolent action. In alignment with the goals of the 2023 Synod on Synodality, the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence has contributed invaluable insights for the Church to advance nonviolent principles as a pathway to peace and justice.
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