The absence of violence is not an indication of the existence of peace, the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) said on Thursday. General Secretary Reverend Francois Pihaatae said a key component to creating peace was to first ensure a just society. Pihaatae was speaking ahead of the International Day of Peace on Saturday (September 21). Read more
United States President Barack Obama has argued that parish schools are an impediment to the establishment of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Speaking in Belfast to a crowd composed mainly of children, Obama said “segregated schools” block the path to full reconciliation. “If towns remain divided, if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Read more
Elizabeth Krishna, 52, of Fiji,who works through the Catholic Church to combat unemployment and crime and close the gap between rich and poor, was one of 16 women from five regions in the South Pacific who attended the 2013 Summer Peace building Institute (SPI) at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), May 6 -June 14. Krishna says, ” for me, it’s always Read more
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised Pope Francis as “a man of peace and purpose” following their first meeting at the Vatican. “He is a voice for the voiceless. I look forward to continuing our conversation,” Ban said, adding that he had invited the Pope to visit the UN “at his earliest convenience”. Read more
‘Pacem in Terris’ was born in the mind of Blessed John XXIII in the fall of 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis, when he served as a back channel between President John F. Kennedy and the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, urging dialogue to end the most dangerous confrontation of the cold war. For the pope, Read more
In a wide-ranging message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, Pope Benedict XVI says peace is threatened by a much broader set of causes than war, terrorism and international crime. Peace involves the human person as a whole, the Pope says, so true peacemakers defend human life at every stage of its Read more
Let’s just say that suddenly you are a social scientist and you want to study peace. That is, you want to understand what makes for a peaceful society. Let’s say that, for years in your work in various parts of the world, you’ve been surrounded by evidence of violence and war. From individual people, you’ve Read more
As violence in Syria continues to escalate, the Vatican has called off sending a papal delegation there on a mission of peace. Instead, Pope Benedict XVI has sent Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, to neighbouring Lebanon, to meet pastors and members of the various churches present in Syria. He Read more
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
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Monday said the peace mission to Syria will will take place “as soon as possible” but may be delayed by recent events. Several prelates, including New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, were set to leave for Syria later this week, but Lombardi said recent fighting in Damascu and unrest in Beirut Read more