Peace and Non-violence

To see our opponents as neighbors

By Kathy Kelly
When we encounter an enemy as a person, like ourselves, then we can believe in and appeal to that person's capacity for goodness. How can we apply this belief to the escalating warfare in Afghanistan and Pakistan where, we are told, groups of Taliban fighters pose a threat to U.S. security and abuse people in areas they control? Who are these people we’re now being taught to fear and hate?
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Teaching the 'golden thread' of Gospel nonviolence

Here’s the challenge: When you’re enrolling your child in Catholic school for the coming year, or perhaps for parish religious education classes, take a moment to look through the curriculum to see how many classes are spent on the topic of Gospel nonviolence.
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Alternatives to war in Afghanistan

The discussion so far has been mostly about troop levels
By David Cortright
The problems in Afghanistan cannot be solved by military means alone. Even General David Petraeus agrees with that. But what are the alternatives? If the president is serious about developing more effective strategies, he needs to de-militarize the mission and prioritize political reconciliation efforts.
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Archbishop O'Brien: 'Nuke abolition a moral imperative'

The former head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services delivered remarks to 500 U.S., foreign officials
By Dennis Coday
With a message aimed at the heart of the U.S. nuclear command, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore July 29 called for a world free of the threat of such weapons. The former head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services spoke to an audience of U.S. military and diplomatic officials.
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Faith leaders tell Congress to close Gitmo

Nov. 13, 2009
By Angela Abbamonte, Religion News Service

More than 40 leaders of major faith groups sent a letter to Congress on Thursday (Nov. 12) urging the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

"Guantanamo is the symbol of our country's violation of our deepest values," the letter says. "Our government must close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay now to help us heal spiritually and to put an end to this dark and errant chapter in our history."

$680 billion military budget an affront to God, the poor

Nov. 12, 2009
By Art Laffin

Commentary

President Obama signed into law Oct. 28 the $680 billion 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, the largest military spending bill of its kind. The bill includes $130 billion in funding for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and only modifies the military commissions system at Guantánamo Bay, rather than abolish it.

Bishop calls for swift, diplomatic end in Afghanistan

Nov. 09, 2009
By Simon Caldwell, Catholic News Service

LONDON -- The bishop who heads the Military Diocese of Great Britain has urged the British government to adequately equip the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and to use diplomacy to bring a swift end to the 8-year-old conflict.

Two bishops barred from Catholic venues

Oct. 29, 2009
By Wire services

The Richmond, Va., diocese rejected a request by the founders of a Pax Christi chapter to hold their kickoff event at a local parish. One of the keynote speakers for the Oct. 2 event was Bishop Walter Sullivan, the retired bishop of Richmond and a past bishop-president of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace group.

Peacemaking in unexpected places

Oct. 14, 2009
By Judy Gross
Kelli Brew and Johnny Zokovitch, managers of the Catholic Worker “Blue House” in Gainesville, Fla. (Photos by Judy Gross)

FRUITLAND, FLA. -- Seventy mostly middle-aged and older social justice activist members of Pax Christi Florida gathered here on a recent weekend at a Methodist retreat center to ask and answer the weekend theme: “How shall I live?”

Bishops advise US on issues in Afghanistan

Oct. 13, 2009
By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON -- Long-term development and humanitarian assistance, protecting civilians and dealing with the root causes of terrorism should be among the guiding principles of how the United States deals with problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace.

In a letter dated Oct. 6 and released Oct. 9, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., offered the advice to retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, as the administration reviews U.S. strategy in the region.

Alternatives to war in Afghanistan

The discussion so far has been mostly about troop levels

Oct. 13, 2009
By David Cortright
U.S. soldiers during a February patrol at Mullagora village, close to the border with Pakistan, in Kunar province, Afghanistan (CNS/Reuters/Oleg Popov)

ESSAY

The problems in Afghanistan cannot be solved by military means alone. Even General David Petraeus agrees with that. But what are the alternatives? The Obama administration has been re-evaluating U.S. policy in the region, but the discussion so far has been mostly about troop levels and military options. If the president is serious about developing more effective strategies, he needs to de-militarize the mission and prioritize political reconciliation efforts.

Babysitting 'Pale Pinto'

Aug. 14, 2009
By Rich Heffern
The blast door at the entrance to a Minuteman missile launch control center (U.S. National Park Service)

Foxtrot Seven brooded in its concrete silence near a grove of cedar trees perched on a glade overlooking a tiny stream. On a bright October day, the glade was colorfully spotted with wildflowers -- goldenrod, morning glory and mullein. I lay in the breeze-nudged grass and watched a flock of chickadees move through the cedars, then walked back to the Minuteman missile silo.

Pope deplores latest killings of Christians in Pakistan

Aug. 06, 2009
By John Thavis, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY
Pope Benedict XVI deplored the killing of eight Christians in Pakistan by a Muslim mob and urged the minority Christian community not to be deterred by the attack.

The Christians, including four women and a child, were either shot or burned alive Aug. 1 when a crowd attacked the eastern Pakistani town of Gojra, setting fire to dozens of Christian homes. Authorities said tensions were running high in the area, fueled by a false rumor that a Quran, the sacred book of Islam, had been desecrated.

A telegram sent in the pope's name said the pontiff was "deeply grieved to learn of the senseless attack" on the Christian community. Noting the "tragic deaths" and the immense destruction in the neighborhood, he sent condolences to the families of the victims and expressed solidarity with the survivors.

"In the name of God he appeals to everyone to renounce the way of violence, which causes so much suffering, and to embrace the way of peace," it said.

The Hiroshima challenge

Aug. 05, 2009
By David Krieger
Hiroshima

By David Krieger
Hiroshima, as the first city attacked by an atomic weapon, was transformed to a city of ashes and death. From this devastation, it would be reborn to challenge humanity to a higher destiny.

Hiroshima became more than a place; it became a symbol of the terrifying threat of a new age of virtually unlimited destructive power. One bomb could destroy one city. By implication, a few bombs could destroy countries and a few dozen bombs could reduce civilization to ruins. As the nuclear arms race gained momentum, the future of life on the planet was placed at risk. Eventually tens of thousands of nuclear weapons would be created and deployed. We humans, by our own scientific and technological cleverness, had created the tools of our own annihilation. Hiroshima was the opening chapter of the Nuclear Age.