Pax Christi: Making nonviolence our way of life

Theresa Alessandro, Pat Gaffney and Marie Dennis

'Let us... make active nonviolence our way of life' urged Pope Francis in his 2017 World Peace Day Message. A five-week course launched on Thursday by Pax Christi England & Wales encourages us all to do just that.

Around 50 participants - from England, Wales, Scotland, the US, Palestine, Uruguay, Brazil and Germany had rich experience to share in the hour-long zoom call. Marie Dennis, a former co-President of Pax Christi International and a co-founder of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative in 2016, joined from Washington.

Pat Gaffney, who has been involved with the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative since its inception, introduced the course, but participants (most of whom were women) spent most of the time in small breakout groups pondering their understanding of nonviolence and sharing examples from their own families, parishes and communities. We heard that in India children of ten know of nonviolence. A parish pastoral council had - after some discussion - signed Pax Christi's vow of nonviolence. Others made links with the message of Laudato Si' asking how we refrain from violence to the planet. Another spoke of a vigil planned in Swansea to mark the death of the young refugee from Sudan who drowned trying to cross the English Channel a few days ago.

Some people had been brought up in families - particularly Quaker - that are members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) so "nonviolence has been a part of my life". Participants recognised structural violence in unjust economic and political structures and in destruction of the natural world. Most were horrified that militarism is normalised and that arms trading is accepted as reaping economic benefits.

There's a lot more to nonviolence than remembering the achievements of Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. If we call upon God 'to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence', as Pope Francis urges, the remaining four weeks of the course could be challenging.

The closing prayer was from Laudato Si.

The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a project of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement, affirms that active nonviolence is at the heart of the vision and message of Jesus, the life of the Catholic Church, and the long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet.

"Meeting with Pax Christi members and friends online has proved to be a deeply enriching experience for all of us during these restricted times" says Theresa Alessandro, Director of Pax Christi England and Wales; "today's first study session was a particularly good example of how much we can encourage and inspire each other when we take time to talk and share our thoughts and experiences."

Pax Christi hopes to run the course again soon, so if you are interested in taking part, contact info@paxchristi.org.uk.

LINK

Catholic Nonviolence Initiative - https://nonviolencejustpeace.net/