Building culture of peace

If peace is to thrive, it must be creative. It must be constructed (and provided with the necessary resources) on the bases of respect for fundamental rights of women and men, the free self-determination of peoples, the welfare of individuals and the development of societies in a spirit of solidarity. It is in this way that world interdependence will be fashioned.

To achieve peace and justice, policies from above are not sufficient. Neither are they sufficient for the implementation of fundamental human rights. It is necessary to strengthen the knowledge, motivation, and participation of individuals and groups entitled to these rights. It is therefore vital to maintain a strong commitment from below through education. This brings together learning, formation, information, and action, so as to favour an integrated development of the individual and re-enforce their sense of social responsibility in daily life.

With every true friendship we build more firmly the foundations on which the peace of the whole world rests. Thought by thought and act by act, with every breath we build the kingdom of nonviolence that is the true home of the spirit of man (Mahatma Gandhi).

Nonviolence is about speaking the whole complicated truth, the truth of our rage, the truth of our longing, the truth of our tears and our laughter, the truth of our smallest fears and our grandest dreams (Pam McAllister).

In our generation when men continue to be afflicted by acute hardships and anxieties arising from the ravages of war or the threat of it, the whole human family faces an hour of supreme crisis in its advance toward maturity. Moving gradually together and everywhere more conscious already of its unity, this family cannot accomplish its task of constructing for all men everywhere a world more genuinely human unless each person devotes himself to the cause of peace with renewed vigour. Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. The common good of humanity finds its ultimate meaning in the eternal law. But since the concrete demands of this common good are constantly changing as time goes on, peace is never attained once and for all, but must be built up ceaselessly. Moreover, since the human will is unsteady and wounded by sin, the achievement of peace requires a constant mastering of passions and the vigilance of lawful authority. But this is not enough. This peace on earth cannot be obtained unless personal well-being is safeguarded and men freely and trustingly share with one another the riches of their inner spirits and their talents. A firm determination to respect other men and peoples and their dignity, as well as the studied practice of brotherhood are absolutely necessary for the establishment of peace. Hence peace is likewise the fruit of love, which goes beyond what justice can provide. (Second Vatican Council. Gaudium et Spes, 1965).

The greatest enemies of peace are poverty and political exclusion.