As our world experiences widespread and accelerating polarization, violence, and war,
there is a corresponding increase in the study and call for advancing nonviolence and
just peace. As the signs-of-the times point to unspeakable suffering in our world, so too
is God’s grace unleashing small and large movements of active and powerful
nonviolence.
While often ridiculed as naïve or unrealistic, a commitment and stance of active
nonviolence is the call of our faith. Pope Benedict XVI teaches “For Christians,
nonviolence is not merely tactical behavior but a person’s way of being, the attitude of
one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle
evil with weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one’s enemy constitutes the nucleus
of the Christian revolution.” He states the Gospel command to love your enemies (cf. Lk
6:27) “is rightly considered the magna carta of Christian nonviolence. It does not consist
in succumbing to evil, but in responding to evil with good and thereby breaking the chain
of injustice.”Pope Francis resonates: “Violence is not the cure for our broken world…Jesus himself
lived in violent times,” yet “Jesus marked out the path of nonviolence. He walked that
path to the very end, to the cross, whereby he became our peace and put an end to
hostility… To be true followers of Jesus today…includes embracing his teaching about
nonviolence.”
Nonviolence articulates a central dimension of the mission of Christ—the rejection of
violence combined with the power of unconditional love in action. Individually and
collectively, and always imperfectly, we are invited to embrace nonviolence in our
prayer, thoughts, and actions as we respond to oppression, pain, and suffering at every
level—in our hearts, our home, our communities—nationally, and internationally.
Pope Francis states nonviolence “requires the willingness to face conflict head on, to
resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process…to choose solidarity…
Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful
than conflict.”
There are many Catholic and international organizations living out nonviolent
intervention in powerful and effective ways. The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI) is
a project of Pax Christi International. Guided by the vision of Pope Francis and
supported by over 100 organizations worldwide, CNI “collaborates globally to integrate
nonviolence into the life of the Church, advocating for peaceful alternatives to conflict
and addressing systemic violence such as racism, economic injustice, and ecological
destruction.”
In 2023 the organization Parents Circle—Families Forum (PCFF) was awarded the Pax
Christi International Peace Award. PCFF is an Israeli-Palestinian collaborative of more
than 700 families who have lost a loved one due to the continuing conflict in the Middle
East. All who engage in this work firmly believe “the process of reconciliation between
the two nations is an essential precondition for attaining a lasting peace.
The Basilica is honored to host a webinar forum presented by PCFF on Sunday
morning, November 3 at 11:15 in the Lower Level of The Basilica. We will join an Israeli
and a Palestinian mother sharing their journey of suffering, loss, and grief—toward
reconciliation and hope.
Nonviolence is not a passive rejection of violence. It is an active, creative, powerful,
prayerful way to respond to small and large conflicts and violence in our individual and
collective lives.
Each of us is invited to grow deeper in our understanding and our commitment to active
nonviolence. If you would like to learn more or join a small group studying this Gospel
call to action, please call the Christian Life Office.
Janice Andersen
Director of Christian Life