John Paul II and Violence and Peace
 Pope
John Paul is the heir of twentieth-century popes who have cried
out for peace. He was born in the aftermath of one time of war and
lived through another in early adulthood. He has good reason to
preach about peace. "I proclaim, with the conviction of my
faith in Christ and with an awareness of my mission, that violence
is evil, that violence is unacceptable as a solution to problems,
that violence is unworthy of man…. Now I wish to speak to
all men and women engaged in violence. I appeal to you, in the language
of passionate pleading. On my knees I beg of you to turn away from
the paths of violence and to return to the way of peace" (L’Osservatore
Romano, October 1979).
When John Paul II was preparing for his visit to
England in 1982 while the country was at war, his collaborators
advised him against going. When they told him that to visit a country
at war could be taken as an offense by the other country, the pope
replied that he would visit them both! And he did. He visited England
from May 28 to June 2 and went on to Argentina from June 10 to 13.
He said to members of the Curia that he could not abandon two countries
at war with one another, and that he must show the world at large
that the universality of his mission did not conflict with a people’s
patriotism. In Coventry, England, which had been totally destroyed
by Nazi bombardment in the Second World War, he said, "Today
the scale and the horror of modern warfare—whether nuclear
or not—makes it totally unacceptable as a means of settling
differences between nations. War should belong to the tragic past,
to history, it should find no place on humanity’s agenda for
the future."
In Peru in 1995 the Pope cried out, "I ask
you in God’s name: change your course!" Although none
of the terrorist or guerilla groups dropped their guns at his appeal,
John Paul II believes that the Gospel call for the rejection of
violence will bear fruit in the Holy Spirit’s good time.
Reporters asked him on the return flight to Rome:
"Wasn’t your appeal to the terrorists in Peru a cry in
the desert?"
"A voice crying in the desert is necessary.
It is often necessary."
"Do you think it will be heard?" they asked.
"Ultimately this voice is heard more and more.
It has been crying out in the desert for two thousand years"
(February 6, 1985).
John Paul II continues to speak out against the use of violence
and war to solve conflicts. "Recent history clearly shows the
failure of recourse to violence as a means for resolving political
and social problems. War destroys, it does not build up; it weakens
the moral foundations of society and creates further divisions and
long-lasting tensions." (World Day of Peace, 1999)
Over and over again, the Pope emphasizes the importance of human
rights. He reminded us of the four pillars of peace: "With
the profound intuition that characterized him, John XXIII identified
the essential conditions for peace in four precise requirements
of the human spirit: truth, justice, love and freedom
(cf. ibid., I: l.c., 265-266). Truth will build
peace if every individual sincerely acknowledges not only his rights,
but also his own duties towards others. Justice will build
peace if in practice everyone respects the rights of others and
actually fulfils his duties towards them. Love will build
peace if people feel the needs of others as their own and share
what they have with others, especially the values of mind and spirit
which they possess.
Freedom will build peace and make it thrive if, in the choice
of the means to that end, people act according to reason and assume
responsibility for their own actions." (World
Day of Peace, January 1, 2003)
The mass media has an important role: "It is more important
than ever to reflect on the role of the mass media in building a
peaceful world based on truth, justice, love and freedom. Indeed,
the means of social communication can make a valid contribution
to peace, tearing down the barriers of indifference, encouraging
reciprocal understanding and respect and, even further, fostering
reconciliation and compassion. It is therefore by virtue of their
vocation and profession that those who work in the mass media are
also called to be peacemakers." (June 1, 2003)
Some of John Paul II's most notable efforts for peace followed
the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and Washington DC. He expressed
his grief and sympathy in an audience on September 12, 2001. "I
cannot begin this audience without expressing my profound sorrow
at the terrorist attacks which yesterday brought death and destruction
to America, causing thousands of victims and injuring countless
people. To the President of the United States and to all American
citizens I express my heartfelt sorrow. In the face of such unspeakable
horror we cannot but be deeply disturbed." (September 12,
2001)
In subsequent addresses the Pope declared the rights of nations
to defend themselves against terrorists and terrorism. "There
exists therefore a right to defend oneself against terrorism, a
right which, as always, must be exercised with respect for moral
and legal limits in the choice of ends and means. The guilty must
be correctly identified, since criminal culpability is always personal
and cannot be extended to the nation, ethnic group or religion to
which the terrorists may belong." (World Day Of Peace, January
1, 2002)
John Paul II pointed out the part that the international community
can play in the war on terrorism. "As an essential part of
its fight against all forms of terrorism, the international community
is called to undertake new and creative political, diplomatic and
economic initiatives aimed at relieving the scandalous situations
of gross injustice, oppression and marginalization which continue
to oppress countless members of the human family. History in fact
shows that the recruitment of terrorists is more easily achieved
in areas where human rights are trampled upon and where injustice
is a part of daily life. This is not to say that the inequalities
and abuses existing in the world excuse acts of terrorism: there
can never of course be any justification for violence and disregard
for human life. However, the international community can no longer
overlook the underlying causes that lead young people especially
to despair of humanity, of life itself and of the future, and to
fall prey to the temptations of violence, hatred and a desire for
revenge at any cost." (September 7, 2002)
The Pope worked tirelessly to bring a resolution to the crisis
with Iraq. Besides his letters, audiences, etc., he sent special
envoy, Cardinal
Roger Etchegary, to Baghdad on February 16, 2003. A few days
later, Msgr. Celestino
Migliore addressed the Security Council of the United Nations.
On March 5, 2003, Cardinal
Pio Laghi visited President George Bush as an envoy of the Pope.
The Secretariat of State issued a Declaration
on the Iraqi Conflict on April 10, 2003. On June 5, 2003, Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State for the Holy See sent
a letter to Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations.
While continuing to denounce terrorism, John Paul II also stated
that "In the campaign against terrorism and violence, religious
leaders have a vital role to play. "The various Christian confessions,
as well as the world's great religions, need to work together to
eliminate the social and cultural causes of terrorism. They can
do this by teaching the greatness and dignity of the human person,
and by spreading a clearer sense of the oneness of the human family"
(Message
for the 2002 World Day of Peace, 12)." (September 25,
2003)
The Pope encourages us to examine the underlying causes of war
and violence. "Complete observance of human rights is the surest
road to establishing solid relations between States. The culture
of human rights cannot fail to be a culture of peace. Every violation
of human rights carries within it the seeds of possible conflict."
(World Day of Peace, January 1, 1999 )
"I address a heartfelt appeal to political leaders and to
all people of good will to do their utmost to put an end to the
violence and abuses, setting aside selfish personal and group interests,
with the effective collaboration of the international community.
"Building peace is 'an ongoing task,' as the situation in
these days dramatically demonstrates." (April 6, 2003)
John Paul II speaks not only of the avoidance of war, but of building
up human solidarity. "In the end, it is in the conversion of
hearts and the spiritual renewal of societies that the hope of a
better tomorrow lies. The building of such a global culture of solidarity
is perhaps the greatest moral task confronting humanity today. It
presents a particular spiritual and cultural challenge to the developed
countries of the West, where the principles and values of the Christian
religion have long been woven into the very fabric of society but
are now being called into question by alternative cultural models
grounded in an exaggerated individualism which all too often leads
to indifferentism, hedonism, consumerism and a practical materialism
that can erode and even subvert the foundations of social life."
(September 7, 2002)
In his message for World Day of Peace, January 1, 2002,
the Pope said that his "reasoned conviction, confirmed in turn
by biblical revelation, is that the shattered order cannot be fully
restored except by a response that combines justice with forgiveness.
The pillars of true peace are justice and that form of love which
is forgiveness.
"But in the present circumstances, how can we speak of justice
and forgiveness as the source and condition of peace? We can and
we must, no matter how difficult this may be; a difficulty which
often comes from thinking that justice and forgiveness are irreconcilable.
But forgiveness is the opposite of resentment and revenge, not of
justice. In fact, true peace is "the work of justice"
(Is 32:17).
Just this year in an address to diplomats, John Paul II recognized
that our era is marked by political crises, by armed violence, by
social conflicts and a prevalent fear of terrorism. He declared,
"Yet everything can change. It depends on each of us.
Everyone can develop within himself his potential for faith, for
honesty, for respect of others and for commitment to the service
of others." The Pope spelled out what can be done to change
the tide and then stressed that "choices need to be made
so that humanity can still have a future." (January
13, 2003 Address To
diplomats)
His continued advice expressed on June 15, 2003, "I would
like to repeat to everyone the appeal I have often made in the past:
"There is no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness"
and "For believers, the first and fundamental pro-peace action
is prayer, since peace is a gift of the love of God." (April
14, 2003)
"Peace, as we know, is first of all a gift from on High for
which we must constantly ask and which, furthermore, we must all
build together by means of a profound inner conversion. Consequently,
today I want to exhort you to work to build peace and be artisans
of peace. Respond to blind violence and inhuman hatred with the
fascinating power of love. Overcome enmity with the force of forgiveness."
(May 3, 2003)
"Christ's passion is continued in the dramatic events which,
unfortunately, still in our time afflict so many men and women in
every part of the earth.
"The mystery of the Cross and of the Resurrection, however,
assures us that hatred, violence, blood and death do not have the
last word in human lives. The definitive victory is Christ's, and
we must set out anew with him if we want to build a future of authentic
peace, justice and solidarity for everyone." (April 16,
2003)
We can join in prayer with John Paul II, "O Almighty and merciful
God, you cannot be understood by one who sows discord, you cannot
be accepted by one who loves violence: look upon our painful
human condition tried by cruel acts of terror and death, comfort
your children and open our hearts to hope, so that our time may
again know days of serenity and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen. (September 12, 2001)
The Pope's
Peace Page includes these and other addresses on peace.
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