Posts Tagged ‘Non-violence’

From gossip to conspiracy thinking

Monday, May 29th, 2023
Gossip

Gossip is designed to ruin an individual’s or group’s reputation; it demonises its victims in private. “There is no such thing as innocent gossip,” says Pope Francis. Conspiracy thinking is a public expression of gossip. It is the belief that an organisation made up of individuals or groups was or is acting secretly to achieve Read more

Hurt people hurt people

Monday, May 15th, 2023
hurt people hurt people

“Hurt” people hurt people. Those who have been hurt or broken in life often respond by striking out and hurting or harming the people who are near them. Many abusers are victims of abuse. Many bullies are victims of bullying. These pain patterns get passed on generation after generation. Elisha is Jeered … Elisha went Read more

Be pacifists

Monday, November 21st, 2022
be pacifists

Pope Francis, on returning from Bahrain, shared his thoughts on many of the world’s current human-made tragedies – including today’s numerous armed conflicts. He said the conflicts reminded him of the World War II Allied military landings at Normandy, France. “It was the beginning of the fall of Nazism, it’s true. “But how many boys Read more

Fiji archbishop advocates nonviolence to help stabilize social unrest

Thursday, October 10th, 2019

In late September, thousands of schoolchildren stayed home from school in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, due to rumors of “public unrest” circulating on social media. According to FBC News, people who started fake news stories likely intended to hurt the country “economically and politically” by creating panic and shutting down work. Fiji’s religious Read more

Gandhi’s birthday interfaith celebration

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on 2 October found Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians marching together with lit candles through the streets of Bhopal in India. The interfaith celebration was organised by the Catholic Bhopal Archdiocese, based in the capital of Madhya Pradesh state. The march culminated in an inter-religious prayer gathering. The event marked the Read more

Buddhists and Catholics to promote peace

Thursday, April 27th, 2017

Catholics and Buddhists should work together to promote peace and non-violence, says the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Both Jesus and Buddha promoted non-violence and were peacemakers, says Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is the  Council president. In a letter marking the Buddhist religious festival of Vesakh addressed to “Buddhist friends”, the Council urged a unified Read more

Pope announces next World Day of Peace theme

Tuesday, August 30th, 2016

Non-violence: A Style of Politics for Peace. This is the theme Pope Francis has chosen for the next World Day of Peace, to be celebrated on January 1, 2017. Pope Francis has talked about the worrisome surge of violence that has taken over the world. On his trip to Poland in July he said the Read more

Remembering Parihaka – a new booklet from Caritas

Friday, October 25th, 2013

A  delegation from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand recently presented its new booklet Remembering Parihaka to the Parihaka community after consulting them over its preparation. “This is not a booklet just about Parihaka’s history,” said Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Director Julianne Hickey, “but a justice and peace resource that enables us to reflect on the impact of Read more

November – month of remembrance of Parihaka

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, an increasing number of families, parishes, schools and communities are learning about and reflecting on the commitment of the people of Parihaka to open community discussion and peaceful action. Parihaka is a community approximately 55 Kilometres southwest of New Plymouth. In the 1870s and 80s, under the leadership of Tohu and Read more

What Jesus taught in the Garden of Gethsemane

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

It’s only in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas and the Roman soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, that the early community — the disciples of men and women, the first church — finally come to understand Jesus. There they realize just how serious Jesus is about life-giving nonviolence. Lent invites us to come to the Read more