Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand

Kia tau te rangimarie ki a taatou katoa
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Account Number:
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The work for peace is a work of community. Below are the links of partners and organisations we support:
Pax Christi International
http://www.paxchristi.net/
Peace Movement Aotearoa
http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
Pax Christi Australia
http://paxchristi.org.au/
The Peace Place
http://www.thepeaceplace.org.nz
Caritas Aotearoa, NZ
http://www.caritas.org.nz/
Welcome
June 2024

Retaining the Maori wards is a Peace issue - says Pax Christi Aotearoa.

Pax Christi ANZ strongly opposes the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill. The end of May and the beginning of June was a busy month for Pax Christi and its members. The current coalition Government are trying to introduce the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill. Pax Christi ANZ strongly opposes this bill. Go to our submissions page to read our submission and those of our members.
On the 5th of June, Susan Healy and Bridget Crisp appeared before the Justice Select Committee, via Zoom link to present an oral submission opposing this bill. Below is a snapshot of our prepared oral submission. All submissions can be found on our submission page (go to upper right contents button, click and scroll down to submissions).
May 2024
May 2023
April 2023
The first edition for 2023 is now ready to read....go to the newsletter tab and hover your curser over "First Quarter" to download your link to the newsletter.
April 2022
The first edition for 2022 is now ready to read....go to the newsletter tab and hover your curser over "First Quarter" to download your link to the newsletter.
December 2021 Thanks and farewell to Bridget
Bridget Crisp rsm came to work for us as Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand just over three years ago. As Manager and Promoter, she has brought a deep and broad commitment to peace and justice issues and to peace building.
Thank you, Bridget, for all you have done for us. You have been encouraging, friendly, caring and thoughtful. We have greatly appreciated your many skills and especially your IT expertise, an area in which many of us feel decidedly diffident!
Your efficiency and attention to detail have been a real boon.
You have shown yourself very concerned and well-informed about all thingsconcerning the environment – an area of peace-making we all need to embrace.Very importantly, as one of our members put it, you are “a confident, honest and knowledgeable woman.”
Thank you, too, for the positive energy you have enthused us with, an encouragement to us all. We will miss you greatly and wish you all the best for your studies at Otago University on the area of Peace and Conflict.
Good luck and we’ll keep in touch.
Mā te Atua kaha rawa, tātou katoa e manaaki, e tiaki.
June 2021 The April/ May Newsletter is now on the website. Apologies for the delay, but the website provider has changed formatting and we are still getting used to it! When you go to the 'Newletter tab', all you need to do is click on 'April/May' for the link to the newsletter.
March 2021
The February March Newsletter is now available to read. In this edition we focus on the personal reflections following the Christchurch Massacre of 2019, that claimed 51 lives. Go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy.
February 2021
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Pax Christi Asia Pacific Region. Together with our other regional members the following statement has been released.
January 2021
Welcome to the New Year! The first Pax Christi Aotearoa Newsletter for 2021 is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to get your copy. We also draw your attention to an online series that will be starting in early February...details can be found below...we hope you can join us!
November 2020
The latest edition of the Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand Newsletter is now available to download. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy.
September 2020
Many Blessings in this time of the Season of Creation.
The current newsletter is not out. The theme for this issue is 'environmental racism'. Also included in the newsletter is information regarding the David Wakim Lecture coming soon next month. The guest lecturer is John Minto. With uncertainty regarding lockdown level changes in Auckland, we will be pursuing livestreaming the lecture alongside attendees. We hope to have more information to you by the end of the month.
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page.
July 2020
Kia ora Pax Christi Friends
The Pax Christi Newsletter for June & July is now available to read. The emphasis is on nuclear testing and technology. We are coming close to the anniversary of the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagaskai, which happens next month. It is not a time to celebrate but to remember and to recommit our focus to protest against all nuclear weapons ...
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page...Previous newsletters can also be found there. Happy reading!
May 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
We hope all are well and safe during this time of COVID-19 impacting our lives. Keep safe and well with blessings of peace to you all.
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April May 2020 is now available on the website. Feel free to go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy. Happy reading!
March 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand.
The February March edition of the Newsletter is now available for you to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to find your copy. Happy Reading!
January 2020
Welcome to a New Year. From the perspective of Peace, 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. Feel free to read about some of the concerns in a our most recent newsletter. Go to the top of this page, where you will find the newsletter tab, then click and find our most recent newsletter, as well as back editions.
We continue to pray for Australia as the bush fires continue to burn. We pray for all victims and also fire fighters attempting to bring the fires under control. We also pray for all peoples in the Middle East, particularly the most vulnerable as tensions remain high following recent events.
November 2019
The October/November edition of the Pax Christi Newsletter is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy...
Please support the following event if you happen to be in Auckland...
September 2019
On the 26th September, Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the David Wakim Lecture 2019 at the St Columba Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland. Dr Susan Healy was our guest lecturer. The title of her lecture was "Building a Community of Communities. Challenges for Aotearoa New Zealand." Go to the events tab at the top of this page to download a copy of the talk that she gave on the 26th. A few photos from the well-supported event are also there.
The September Newsletter is now out...pay particular attention coming up in early October relating to PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa)...go to newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
21st September 2019
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand wishes everyone a day of peace this day. Along with our Pax Christi colleagues in the Asia Pacific Region we invite you to read the statement that we have prepared for this day. It can also be found in the statements tab, at the top of the page as a PDF document.
August 2019
The August Newsletter is now ready to download...go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to get your copy.
Mark your diaries...coming up in September...
On Wednesday August 14th, the Auckland Pax Christi group are hosting a prayer study session instead of their normal meeting. Feel free to come along to the Peace Place (in Emily Place) and join us. The meeting begins at 6 pm. Please contact us if you are coming. Details of the study session are in the flyer below.
July 2019
The July Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter to find and download your copy.
June 2019
The June Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
Please join us for the following event we are co-hosting alongside West Papua Action Auckland on Monday July 1st...
May 2019
The Newsletter for May is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the homepage to find and download your copy.
April 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
March 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for February / March is now out. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
December 2018
The newsletter for December/January is out...feel free to go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page and download your copy. I also draw your attention to the the upcoming book launch happening in February...please read, pass onto your networks and support.
November 2018
The newsletter for this month is now ready for downloading...go to the newsletter tab and download your copy. At the same time I encourage you to support the book launch of Praying for Peace coming up later in the month as well as the Book launch of Fr Peter Murnane's book Archways to the Infinite. Information about this book can be found in the newsletter.
Coming up in November...the much anticipated book launch of 'Praying for Peace'. A lot of hard work went into developing this resource...please join us at the book launch....
October 2018
The October Newsletter is ready to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
September 2018
The September Newsletter is now out....feel free to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy. Also remember that the David Wakim Lecture is nearly here...please support.
August 2018
The August Newsletter is now out....go to the newsletter tab to download your copy.
New Zealand becomes the 14th State to Ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand has been a strong advocate against the possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons since our beginnings in the mid 1980s. This has included our strong support for ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), one of many organisations that have rallied the New Zealand government to formally ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons on the 31st July 2018. New Zealand signs as the 14th State to have ratified the treaty.
Aotearoa New Zealand has been against nuclear weapons since the 1960s when we signed a Treaty banning atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. In 1973, New Zealand took France to the International Court of Justice to protest against its nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. Around the same time,New Zealand sent two frigates into the testing zone to put a stop to testing in the area.
In 1983, the focus shifted to ships thought to be carrying nuclear arms resulting in protests against the USS Texas in 1983 and the USS Truxton in 1976. In 1985 the USS Buchanan was banned from New Zealand ports because it refused to declare whether it had nuclear weapons on board or not. As a result, diplomatic ties with Washington were severed. Also, in 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship “Rainbow Warrior” was bombed in Auckland harbour with the loss of photographer, Fernando Pereira.
In 1987, the New Zealand Parliament signed a Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act, declaring itself to be nuclear free zone. This resulted in the banning all nuclear power ships or ships carrying nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand territorial waters and resulted in New Zealand being ejected from the ANZUS agreement with the United States and Australia, its main defence treaty.
Now with the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the next key step in the campaign against disarmament and prohibition of nuclear weapons, is to encourage other Nation States to ratify this treaty. If 50 nations ratify the treaty, then it becomes actionable.
The Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons strengthens the position of those not seeing any need to further develop nuclear weapons.
In the next few days, we remember the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We remember
the horror that the people of these two cities went through – the devastation and tragic loss of life. Surely, the world has no need to go through that again.
Our thanks and congratulations go out to all those who drew up and developed these treaties, to the countries who have signed and are signing them, and most importantly, to the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who continue to this day to tell their story in the hope that they can make the world a better place.
Bridget Crisp & Kevin McBride
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
2nd August 2018
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If you are in the Auckland Central area on 6th August....join us at Emily Place to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
Coming Up in August ...is a Book Club event where Pax Christi will be studying Marie Dennis edited book 'Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel NonViolence'. If you are interested contact Bridget Crisp rsm on bridget.crisp@xtra.co.nz . The book club will be at the Peace Place, Auckland...but if you are outside Auckland - why not set up your own book club. The book can be ordered online from your preferred provider.
July 2018
Freedom of speech is the focus of this issue of the newsletter...which is timely as freedom of speech has been the topic recently in media and social media circles. Click on the newsletter tab and find out more.
June 2018
The June newsletter is now out. In this issue we reflect on World Environment Day and World Oceans Day...Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
May 2018
The May newsletter is out...check out the recent promotion tour around NZ where we met many passionate people....Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
April 2018
The April Newsletter is out...go to the tab marked 'Newsletters', click on the link for the April Newsletter and check out the news and views of Pax Christi...
March 2018
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The Pax Christi Newsletter for March is now available to read. In this edition, we explore the very early founders of Pax Christi, in France 1945...
Click on link below to read more...
Pax Christi Newsletter March 2018Pax Christi Newsletter March.pdf (1.38MB)
2 October 2017
The Ethnic Cleansing happening within Myanmar
The term ethnic cleansing is not used lightly … and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that “the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” to the UN Human Rights Council on the 11 September. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, agrees with the High Commissioner statements when he said on Wednesday the 13th of September to a news conference:
“When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, could you find a better word to describe it?"
The UN Security council has had a series of meetings to discuss the situation happening in Myanmar, as some 370,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh following security operations, in late August, by Myanmar’s military in the State of Rakhine. Reports of civilian killings and villages being wiped out have managed to get beyond Myanmar’s state borders. The UN security council are asking Myanmar’s government to:
- suspend military action
- end violence
- uphold the rule of law
- recognise the right of return of all those who had to leave the country.
Myanmar’s government has stated they are targeting “terrorists” while refugees say it is an offensive to push Rohingya out of the country. At international level, there is growing concern that Russia and China will support Myanmar’s government actions and resist the strong response that the UN want to send to the government.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned with is happening in Rakhine State of Myanmar and endorse the United Nations demands that Myanmar’s government restores peace to Rakhine State. We have sent a letter to Myanmar’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand expressing our concern and encourage you and your networks to do the same.
Suggested Actions:
  • Pray for Peace in Rakhine State and for the refugees fleeing or already in Bangladesh. Remembering those who have died on both sides of the conflict.
  • Write a letter to Ambassador, HE Mr Tha Aung Nyun, Ambassador of Myanmar to Australia and New Zealand reiterating what the United Nations is asking Myanmar to do to restore peace in the region. Address is:
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
22 Arkana Street, Yarrolumla
ACT 2600
Australia
Pope calls for nonviolence in 2017 World Day of Peace message
12 December 2016
Pope Francis's World Day of Peace message calls us to “make active nonviolence our way of life.”
Today in his message, “Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace,” for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated each year on 1st January, Pope Francis urges people everywhere to practice active nonviolence and notes that the “decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a global effort to affirm the vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church, is heartened by and deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s call to political and religious leaders, heads of international organisations, and business and media executives to “apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. … To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative was formed to advance the requests made in the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence", the final statement of the landmark Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference held in Rome in April 2016 and cosponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pax Christi International, and other organisations.
“It was especially noteworthy that we received Pope Francis’ message at this time,” said Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International. “Last week we gathered with member organisations in Africa for our regional conference, ‘Nonviolence in Africa: Creating a future of hope,’ during which time the attendees endorsed the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence". Much of our time together during those days focused on how to reclaim civil space and how to promote nonviolence in many ways. The Holy Father’s message for 2017 deeply resonates with us as the work Pax Christi International and its member groups has been dedicated for years to finding creative and peaceful solutions to violent conflict.”
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/press-release-pope-calls-nonviolence-2017-world-day-peace-message/6440#sthash.kr7fvUpS.dpuf
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Pax Christi International statement on the occasion of the Action Day for Peace in Syria, 24 October 2016
On this UN Day of Action for Peace in Syria, we join all friends of peace around the world in calling the international community:
1. To immediately halt all aerial attacks on Aleppo and to expedite medical evacuations and unimpeded humanitarian access. Simultaneously efforts must be encouraged to restore a nationwide ceasefire with strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
2. To lift all sieges in accordance with the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2165, and to especially demand an immediate end to the “surrender or starve” siege strategy by the Syrian government. The UN should also strictly adhere to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
3. To protect civilians and promote accountability in Syria. EU member states need to support current calls for the UN General Assembly to hold a special Emergency Session on Syria.
4. To support the hundreds of peaceful Syrian civil society organizations delivering services and laying the foundations for a future peaceful Syria. Such organizations form a middle ground in between the Syrian regime and extremist terrorist groups.
5. To impose additional coercive measures on Russia and the government of Syria if they continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo and other places in Syria.
6. To undertake bolder diplomatic efforts like the recent condemnation of Russia and the announcement of a dialogue with key regional actors to prepare the ground for a political transition and post-conflict preparations.
7. To demand that Russia stop its military support of the Syrian authorities and extend the short term cease-fire.
8. To impose an arms embargo to all warring parties in the Syrian conflict. Syria is and will continue to be a broken, war-torn place for years to come, perhaps decades, if the international community doesn’t act more forcefully to stop the conflict. We call upon the international community to increase its support for a solution in Syria and bring the killing to an end.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-statement-occasion-action-day-peace-syria-24-october/6375
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Japan: On the Occasion of "Ten Days for Peace" 2016 - Building Peace Begins within Ourselves
The following statement was released last month by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan.
In response to the strong "Appeal for Peace" at Hiroshima by Saint Pope John Paul II on February 25, 1981, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan designated the days from August 6 to 15 as "Ten Days for Peace." These days were chosen because the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial Days and the Commemoration Day for the end of World War II all occur in this period. This year marks the 35th time we mark this period. It goes without saying that our prayers for peace, and the responsibility to learn and think about peace and to act for peace are never limited to this period. For example, we must not forget Okinawa Memorial Day on June 23.
We must pray for peace, learn and think about peace and act for whatever is needed for peace throughout the year. And yet, we are required to spend this particular period giving even more attention than usual to peace. World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force. Numerous people including children and women are killed or injured, forced to leave home, deprived of a normal life and even life itself.
Terrorist attacks occur in major cities in Europe, the United States or in Muslim nations. Many Japanese people have become victims. Terrorist attacks are waiting to happen at anytime and anywhere in the world. That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.
U.S. President Obama stressed in his speeches seven years ago in Prague and this past May in Hiroshima that we seek and pursue "a world without nuclear weapons." We should look to "mankind’s capacity to act together in solidarity and, on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to demonstrate concern for the more vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and for the protection of the common good" (cf. Pope Francis, Message for "World Day of Peace" 2016, 2).
Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world. Within our country, we cannot be indifferent to murders that occur on a daily basis, or to discrimination based on nationality, culture or gender, to domestic violence, hate speech, or sexual or power harassment. Appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly. And we must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence.
The Hebrew word "shalom," which for Christians is the original language of "peace," has various meanings: prosperity and success; wholeness; greetings; well-being; public and private peace; friendship; freedom and salvation. In other words, "peace" means that each one of us lives a fulfilling life, while valuing the dignity of one’s own and others’ lives and building friendly relationships with God and others. As Pope Francis points out, we must make efforts not to exclude a single person, but must love, forgive and accept each other because we all are embraced by the mercy of God. There is no peace where someone is excluded, dominated, disrespected or discriminated against. By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves. We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace. May the God of love and peace be with us (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11).
7 July 2016 Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Archbishop of Nagasaki, President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/japan-occasion-ten-days-peace-2016-building-peace-begins-within-ourselves/6230#sthash.1bEA97Ev.dpuf
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Brussels, 15 July 2016
Statement: Pax Christi International stands with the victims in Nice, calls for actions in support of justice and human security.
We awoke this morning to another shocking attack, this time in Nice, France, leaving at least 84 people dead, many of these children, and hundreds more injured and traumatised. The attack was perpetrated at festivities for Bastille Day—during which the French celebrate the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité—values which stand in stark contrast to the agenda of violence and extremism.
Yesterday’s events and the frequency of such attacks leave us stunned but resolute. We at Pax Christi International stand in solidarity with the people of Nice, with France, and with all people in every nation around the world who live in this reality where violence and the insecurity it breeds is the norm.
We condemn the horrific attack in Nice as we condemn the use of violence in every form, everywhere. The perpetrators of this violence must be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes under the rule of law. Let it be a testament to the victims of this attack and all who have suffered in attacks like this in every corner of the world that we will not tolerate violence nor the root causes which contribute to violence—oppression, inequality, exclusion, greed, discrimination and fear.
Let us embrace the hope that we can do better, that we can find solutions which do not resort to the false promise of violence.
Let us work to foster the conditions that lead to peace and nurture the systems that address conflict by working for human rights and justice for all.
Pax Christi International is concerned that the government of France, in collaboration with others in the international community, will respond to this attack by increasing military action in the Middle East. We believe that an appropriate response is one which upholds human rights and promotes justice—not further military action which plants the seeds of future attacks like the one in Nice.
Our movement asserts that violence only leads to more violence and that it can never achieve the peace and security in which every human being deserves to live. It is actions like the attack in France that strengthens our resolve to work for justice and peace in our world. Our 120 member organisations work for this on five continents, and today, in solidarity with the victims of this attack, the people of Nice and all those who yearn for a world free of violence, we pledge our commitment to cultivate the justice and peace which honour human dignity. Today we share our grief for all those who have died and we pray for all those affected by the brutality of this attack. As we firmly believe that violence will not ultimately prevail, our grief will not make us numb nor distract us from the work to be done.
Source: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/statement-pax-christi-international-stands-victims-nice-calls-actions-support-justice-and-human#sthash.H3tlmIdX.fqJxkejR.dpuf
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12th July 2016
Pax Christi International: Fifth anniversary sees South Sudan mired in violence
Pax Christi International denounces the fighting taking place in South Sudan between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last few days. Despite the 2015 peace agreement, hostilities continue, causing many people to be killed and thousands more to be displaced, forced to shelter in churches and other locations during the heavy rains.
Humanitarian assistance is needed throughout the country and people should be able to safely reach that help. They have immediate need for food, health care, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services. We pray for the people of South Sudan, who have been experiencing decades of violence and, consequently, humanitarian problems.
We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence contrary to the commitments made under the peace agreement. Also, we find that the recent attacks against the UN, its officials and on vulnerable people under their protection, to be outrageous. It is not the first time that UN sites have been under attack.
As long as parties do not settle their differences peacefully, grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and severe humanitarian crises will continue to take place. Under these conditions, no stable future can be built and the South Sudanese people will only know what it is to live in war, not peace.
We urge all parties to the conflict to immediately cease the hostilities. Also, as the UN Security Council has unanimously requested in its latest statement [1], the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors should be allowed access to civilians in need. Nevertheless, Pax Christi International wishes to underline that the main responsibility for protection of civilians remains with the South Sudanese transitional government.
Furthermore, we urge the leaders of the nations of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who brokered the 2015 ‘Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan’, to take an urgent and proactive role in resolving the current conflict in South Sudan and to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented.
Pax Christi International would also like to underline that an end is needed to the flood of deadly weapons around the world that facilitate violence and make the road to a just and lasting peace extremely difficult. In line with this, the South Sudan Council of Churches has reiterated the message of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International at the April 2016 conference on ‘Nonviolence and Just Peace’, that violence is never the solution and simply leads to more violence. [2]
With regard to the violence of recent days, we also support the latest statement of the South Sudan Council of Churches in which it states the following: “We pray for those who have been killed and for their families and we ask God's forgiveness for those who have done the killing. However we also urge repentance and a firm commitment from all armed individuals, forces and communities, and from their leaders, to create an atmosphere where violence is not an option.” [3]
This year, the state of South Sudan marks its fifth anniversary as a nation, but there is little reason to celebrate, as many citizens are suffering from hunger, in constant danger and traumatized. We therefore call on our global member organisations to pray and to stand in solidarity with all the victims of violence, with our member organisations in South Sudan, PAX [4] and Holy Trinity Peace Village, Kuron [5], and the Church and its leaders who have had an important role in grassroots and political peace-making. [6]
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-fifth-anniversary-sees-south-sudan-mired-violence/6182#sthash.JvAYClG4.AEwGmz9U.dpuf
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The following statement was affirmed by the participants of the Nonviolence and Just Peace gathering held in Rome, 11-13 April 2016. The gathering was co-convened by Pax Christi International, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, UISG/USG and many other international Catholic organisations.
As Christians committed to a more just and peaceful world we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence. With this conviction, and in recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, people from many countries gathered at the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International on April 11-13, 2016 in Rome.
Our assembly, people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops. Many of us live in communities experiencing violence and oppression. All of us are practitioners of justice and peace. We are grateful for the message to our conference from Pope Francis: “your thoughts on revitalizing the tools of nonviolence, and of active nonviolence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution”.
Looking at our world today
We live in a time of tremendous suffering, widespread trauma and fear linked to militarization, economic injustice, climate change, and a myriad of other specific forms of violence. In this context of normalized and systemic violence, those of us who stand in the Christian tradition are called to recognize the centrality of active nonviolence to the vision and message of Jesus; to the life and practice of the Catholic Church; and to our long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet.
We rejoice in the rich concrete experiences of people engaged in work for peace around the world, many of whose stories we heard during this conference. Participants shared their experiences of courageous negotiations with armed actors in Uganda and Colombia; working to protect the Article 9, the peace clause in the Japanese Constitution; accompaniment in Palestine; and countrywide peace education in the Philippines. They illuminate the creativity and power of nonviolent practices in many different situations of potential or actual violent conflict. Recent academic research, in fact, has confirmed that nonviolent resistance strategies are twice as effective as violent ones.
The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices. In all of this, Jesus is our inspiration and model.
Jesus and nonviolence
In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new, nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional love of God. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matthew 5: 44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons; to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil (Matthew 5: 39); to become peacemakers; to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3: 1-6); when he confronted the powerful at the Temple and purified it (John 2: 13-22); when he peacefully but determinedly challenged the men accusing a woman of adultery (John 8: 1-11); when on the night before he died he asked Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26: 52).
Neither passive nor weak, Jesus’ nonviolence was the power of love in action. In vision and deed, he is the revelation and embodiment of the Nonviolent God, a truth especially illuminated in the Cross and Resurrection. He calls us to develop the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking.
Clearly, the Word of God, the witness of Jesus, should never be used to justify violence, injustice or war. We confess that the people of God have betrayed this central message of the Gospel many times, participating in wars, persecution, oppression, exploitation, and discrimination.
We believe that there is no “just war”. Too often the “just war theory” has been used to endorse rather than prevent or limit war. Suggesting that a “just war” is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict.
We need a new framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence. A different path is clearly unfolding in recent Catholic social teaching. Pope John XXIII wrote that war is not a suitable way to restore rights; Pope Paul VI linked peace and development, and told the UN “no more war”; Pope John Paul II said that “war belongs to the tragic past, to history”; Pope Benedict XVI said that “loving the enemy is the nucleus of the Christian revolution”; and Pope Francis said “the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence. Faith and violence are incompatible”. He has also urged the “abolition of war”.
We propose that the Catholic Church develop and consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence. A Just Peace approach offers a vision and an ethic to build peace as well as to prevent, defuse, and to heal the damage of violent conflict. This ethic includes a commitment to human dignity and thriving relationships, with specific criteria, virtues, and practices to guide our actions. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking.
Living Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace
In that spirit we commit ourselves to furthering Catholic understanding and practice of active nonviolence on the road to just peace. As would-be disciples of Jesus, challenged and inspired by stories of hope and courage in these days, we call on the Church we love to:
  • continue developing Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. In particular, we call on Pope Francis to share with the world an encyclical on nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into the life, including the sacramental life, and work of the Church through dioceses, parishes, agencies, schools, universities, seminaries, religious orders, voluntary associations, and others;
  • promote nonviolent practices and strategies (e.g., nonviolent resistance, restorative justice, trauma healing, unarmed civilian protection, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding strategies);
  • initiate a global conversation on nonviolence within the Church, with people of other faiths, and with the larger world to respond to the monumental crises of our time with the vision and strategies of nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • no longer use or teach “just war theory”; continue advocating for the abolition of war and nuclear weapons;
  • lift up the prophetic voice of the church to challenge unjust world powers and to support and defend those nonviolent activists whose work for peace and justice put their lives at risk.
In every age, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with the wisdom to respond to the challenges of its time. In response to what is a global epidemic of violence, which Pope Francis has labeled a “world war in installments”, we are being called to invoke, pray over, teach and take decisive action. With our communities and organizations, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Holy See and the global Church to advance Gospel nonviolence.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/appeal-catholic-church-recommit-centrality-gospel-nonviolence/5855#sthash.RkIk6WZX.UIsHQuzR.dpuf
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Statement from Pax Christi International & The World Council of Churches - issued 15 March 2016.
Negotiations should end the conflict and bring political transition in Syria
In March 2016 we mark the 5th anniversary of the popular uprising in Syria. The first cessation of hostilities after five years of war in Syria began on 27 February 2016. Although there have been dozens of violations of the ceasefire daily, many communities have for the first time in years witnessed a period of calm and respite from bombardments. This fragile ceasefire follows UN Security Council Resolution 2268.[1]
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, there is little hope for an early end to the fighting in Syria. This ongoing war presents one of the greatest political and moral challenges of our time. Now an international conflict, it has the potential for additional destabilisation at the regional and international level.
The World Council of Churches and Pax Christi International urgently appeal to all involved parties to demonstrate good will and to take part in negotiations in Geneva. A fundamental ingredient for peace, political will, has been lacking in Syria. We call upon those governments with influence in this conflict to address the root causes of so much death and destruction and that are driving so many people from their homes.
Hundreds of thousands of victims have been claimed by the violence in Syria, which has left many millions more without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and, at the same time, to engage in dialogue toward a political transition that enables the country to return swiftly to peace. The intra-Syrian talks which begin on 15 March in Geneva must create the conditions for such a political transition. The Syrian people must be at the centre of the resolution of the conflict. Other states (in particular the members of the International Syria Support Group) and non-state actors must support a Syrian-led process.
Large-scale humanitarian aid to the afflicted populations throughout Syria and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries also must be assured. Increased aid to besieged areas and a lull in the violence could show the Syrian people that a political process could lead to results, thus contributing to public support for the necessary revival of the Geneva peace talks.
In recent weeks we have seen a new wave of peaceful demonstrations in Syria.[2] The Syrian people are clear about what they want: a united, democratic Syria where all citizens enjoy equal rights. The demonstrations spoke out clearly against dividing the country. That political momentum should not be lost. All parties must support civil society in its critical role in the process of ceasefire and human rights monitoring, violence reduction, trust building, facilitating public debate and conflict transformation.
The massive call for freedom and democracy in Syria underlines the urgency of prioritizing political transition to an inclusive and democratic state. That should be a primary goal in Geneva. A "Syria First" strategy is needed, instead of an "ISIS First" strategy. Only when the democratic forces in Syria are supported and protected can ISIS be defeated.
A large scale reconstruction programme which includes the reform of state institutions should be started and supervised by the United Nations. In the long term, a transparent process of transitional justice and reconciliation in which all ethnic, political and religious groups are included should be initiated and include active participation from the different sectors of civil society.
Our hearts break for the suffering experienced by people from all religious traditions who have become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence. The diversity of the region must be preserved and the rights of all regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender must be secured. The religious and social values of the Syrian people, including freedom, dignity and tolerance, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are essential references in the protection of the rights of all citizens.
As Christian organisations we stand with our brothers and sisters in the region and will support them in their efforts to restore peace in their countries and make sure they and other religions and ethnic groups will all be active participants in the future of the region.
Geneva/Brussels, 15 March 2016
Pax Christi InternationalRue du Progrès, 323B-1030 BrusselsBelgium
World Council of ChurchesCP 21001211 Geneva 2Switzerland
[1] http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12261.doc.htm
[2] https://www.facebook.com/ActivistHive/videos/1671451539759645/
- See more at: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/negotiations-should-end-conflict-and-bring-political-transition-syria/5723#sthash.Eg5sT6js.0RxmYtmv.dpuf
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The work for peace is a work of community. Below are the links of partners and organisations we support:
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http://www.paxchristi.net/
Peace Movement Aotearoa
http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
Pax Christi Australia
http://paxchristi.org.au/
The Peace Place
http://www.thepeaceplace.org.nz
Caritas Aotearoa, NZ
http://www.caritas.org.nz/
Welcome
The diagram below shows parking spaces that are next to the Jubilee Hall. Besides the Jubilee Hall parks, Auckland Museum offers paid parking in the Museum car park at the top of Maunsell Road. There are also many Pay and Display car parks around the Auckland Domain and in neighbouring streets.
The David Wakim Lecture livestream link: https://youtu.be/MzYewZBISKs (set up to go live at 6.50pm NZ time on the 13 October 2022). The Lecture is free but you may like to make a koha towards costs. Our bank details: Pax Christi Trust 38-9001-0650399-06
April 2022
The first edition for 2022 is now ready to read....go to the newsletter tab and hover your curser over "First Quarter" to download your link to the newsletter.
December 2021 Thanks and farewell to Bridget
Bridget Crisp rsm came to work for us as Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand just over three years ago. As Manager and Promoter, she has brought a deep and broad commitment to peace and justice issues and to peace building.
Thank you, Bridget, for all you have done for us. You have been encouraging, friendly, caring and thoughtful. We have greatly appreciated your many skills and especially your IT expertise, an area in which many of us feel decidedly diffident!
Your efficiency and attention to detail have been a real boon.
You have shown yourself very concerned and well-informed about all thingsconcerning the environment – an area of peace-making we all need to embrace.Very importantly, as one of our members put it, you are “a confident, honest and knowledgeable woman.”
Thank you, too, for the positive energy you have enthused us with, an encouragement to us all. We will miss you greatly and wish you all the best for your studies at Otago University on the area of Peace and Conflict.
Good luck and we’ll keep in touch.
Mā te Atua kaha rawa, tātou katoa e manaaki, e tiaki.
June 2021 The April/ May Newsletter is now on the website. Apologies for the delay, but the website provider has changed formatting and we are still getting used to it! When you go to the 'Newletter tab', all you need to do is click on 'April/May' for the link to the newsletter.
March 2021
The February March Newsletter is now available to read. In this edition we focus on the personal reflections following the Christchurch Massacre of 2019, that claimed 51 lives. Go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy.
February 2021
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Pax Christi Asia Pacific Region. Together with our other regional members the following statement has been released.
January 2021
Welcome to the New Year! The first Pax Christi Aotearoa Newsletter for 2021 is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to get your copy. We also draw your attention to an online series that will be starting in early February...details can be found below...we hope you can join us!
November 2020
The latest edition of the Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand Newsletter is now available to download. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy.
September 2020
Many Blessings in this time of the Season of Creation.
The current newsletter is not out. The theme for this issue is 'environmental racism'. Also included in the newsletter is information regarding the David Wakim Lecture coming soon next month. The guest lecturer is John Minto. With uncertainty regarding lockdown level changes in Auckland, we will be pursuing livestreaming the lecture alongside attendees. We hope to have more information to you by the end of the month.
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page.
July 2020
Kia ora Pax Christi Friends
The Pax Christi Newsletter for June & July is now available to read. The emphasis is on nuclear testing and technology. We are coming close to the anniversary of the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagaskai, which happens next month. It is not a time to celebrate but to remember and to recommit our focus to protest against all nuclear weapons ...
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page...Previous newsletters can also be found there. Happy reading!
May 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
We hope all are well and safe during this time of COVID-19 impacting our lives. Keep safe and well with blessings of peace to you all.
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April May 2020 is now available on the website. Feel free to go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy. Happy reading!
March 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand.
The February March edition of the Newsletter is now available for you to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to find your copy. Happy Reading!
January 2020
Welcome to a New Year. From the perspective of Peace, 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. Feel free to read about some of the concerns in a our most recent newsletter. Go to the top of this page, where you will find the newsletter tab, then click and find our most recent newsletter, as well as back editions.
We continue to pray for Australia as the bush fires continue to burn. We pray for all victims and also fire fighters attempting to bring the fires under control. We also pray for all peoples in the Middle East, particularly the most vulnerable as tensions remain high following recent events.
November 2019
The October/November edition of the Pax Christi Newsletter is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy...
Please support the following event if you happen to be in Auckland...
September 2019
On the 26th September, Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the David Wakim Lecture 2019 at the St Columba Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland. Dr Susan Healy was our guest lecturer. The title of her lecture was "Building a Community of Communities. Challenges for Aotearoa New Zealand." Go to the events tab at the top of this page to download a copy of the talk that she gave on the 26th. A few photos from the well-supported event are also there.
The September Newsletter is now out...pay particular attention coming up in early October relating to PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa)...go to newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
21st September 2019
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand wishes everyone a day of peace this day. Along with our Pax Christi colleagues in the Asia Pacific Region we invite you to read the statement that we have prepared for this day. It can also be found in the statements tab, at the top of the page as a PDF document.
August 2019
The August Newsletter is now ready to download...go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to get your copy.
Mark your diaries...coming up in September...
On Wednesday August 14th, the Auckland Pax Christi group are hosting a prayer study session instead of their normal meeting. Feel free to come along to the Peace Place (in Emily Place) and join us. The meeting begins at 6 pm. Please contact us if you are coming. Details of the study session are in the flyer below.
July 2019
The July Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter to find and download your copy.
June 2019
The June Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
Please join us for the following event we are co-hosting alongside West Papua Action Auckland on Monday July 1st...
May 2019
The Newsletter for May is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the homepage to find and download your copy.
April 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
March 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for February / March is now out. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
December 2018
The newsletter for December/January is out...feel free to go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page and download your copy. I also draw your attention to the the upcoming book launch happening in February...please read, pass onto your networks and support.
November 2018
The newsletter for this month is now ready for downloading...go to the newsletter tab and download your copy. At the same time I encourage you to support the book launch of Praying for Peace coming up later in the month as well as the Book launch of Fr Peter Murnane's book Archways to the Infinite. Information about this book can be found in the newsletter.
Coming up in November...the much anticipated book launch of 'Praying for Peace'. A lot of hard work went into developing this resource...please join us at the book launch....
October 2018
The October Newsletter is ready to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
September 2018
The September Newsletter is now out....feel free to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy. Also remember that the David Wakim Lecture is nearly here...please support.
August 2018
The August Newsletter is now out....go to the newsletter tab to download your copy.
New Zealand becomes the 14th State to Ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand has been a strong advocate against the possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons since our beginnings in the mid 1980s. This has included our strong support for ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), one of many organisations that have rallied the New Zealand government to formally ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons on the 31st July 2018. New Zealand signs as the 14th State to have ratified the treaty.
Aotearoa New Zealand has been against nuclear weapons since the 1960s when we signed a Treaty banning atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. In 1973, New Zealand took France to the International Court of Justice to protest against its nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. Around the same time,New Zealand sent two frigates into the testing zone to put a stop to testing in the area.
In 1983, the focus shifted to ships thought to be carrying nuclear arms resulting in protests against the USS Texas in 1983 and the USS Truxton in 1976. In 1985 the USS Buchanan was banned from New Zealand ports because it refused to declare whether it had nuclear weapons on board or not. As a result, diplomatic ties with Washington were severed. Also, in 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship “Rainbow Warrior” was bombed in Auckland harbour with the loss of photographer, Fernando Pereira.
In 1987, the New Zealand Parliament signed a Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act, declaring itself to be nuclear free zone. This resulted in the banning all nuclear power ships or ships carrying nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand territorial waters and resulted in New Zealand being ejected from the ANZUS agreement with the United States and Australia, its main defence treaty.
Now with the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the next key step in the campaign against disarmament and prohibition of nuclear weapons, is to encourage other Nation States to ratify this treaty. If 50 nations ratify the treaty, then it becomes actionable.
The Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons strengthens the position of those not seeing any need to further develop nuclear weapons.
In the next few days, we remember the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We remember
the horror that the people of these two cities went through – the devastation and tragic loss of life. Surely, the world has no need to go through that again.
Our thanks and congratulations go out to all those who drew up and developed these treaties, to the countries who have signed and are signing them, and most importantly, to the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who continue to this day to tell their story in the hope that they can make the world a better place.
Bridget Crisp & Kevin McBride
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
2nd August 2018
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If you are in the Auckland Central area on 6th August....join us at Emily Place to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
Coming Up in August ...is a Book Club event where Pax Christi will be studying Marie Dennis edited book 'Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel NonViolence'. If you are interested contact Bridget Crisp rsm on bridget.crisp@xtra.co.nz . The book club will be at the Peace Place, Auckland...but if you are outside Auckland - why not set up your own book club. The book can be ordered online from your preferred provider.
July 2018
Freedom of speech is the focus of this issue of the newsletter...which is timely as freedom of speech has been the topic recently in media and social media circles. Click on the newsletter tab and find out more.
June 2018
The June newsletter is now out. In this issue we reflect on World Environment Day and World Oceans Day...Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
May 2018
The May newsletter is out...check out the recent promotion tour around NZ where we met many passionate people....Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
April 2018
The April Newsletter is out...go to the tab marked 'Newsletters', click on the link for the April Newsletter and check out the news and views of Pax Christi...
March 2018
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The Pax Christi Newsletter for March is now available to read. In this edition, we explore the very early founders of Pax Christi, in France 1945...
Click on link below to read more...
Pax Christi Newsletter March 2018Pax Christi Newsletter March.pdf (1.38MB)
2 October 2017
The Ethnic Cleansing happening within Myanmar
The term ethnic cleansing is not used lightly … and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that “the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” to the UN Human Rights Council on the 11 September. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, agrees with the High Commissioner statements when he said on Wednesday the 13th of September to a news conference:
“When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, could you find a better word to describe it?"
The UN Security council has had a series of meetings to discuss the situation happening in Myanmar, as some 370,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh following security operations, in late August, by Myanmar’s military in the State of Rakhine. Reports of civilian killings and villages being wiped out have managed to get beyond Myanmar’s state borders. The UN security council are asking Myanmar’s government to:
- suspend military action
- end violence
- uphold the rule of law
- recognise the right of return of all those who had to leave the country.
Myanmar’s government has stated they are targeting “terrorists” while refugees say it is an offensive to push Rohingya out of the country. At international level, there is growing concern that Russia and China will support Myanmar’s government actions and resist the strong response that the UN want to send to the government.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned with is happening in Rakhine State of Myanmar and endorse the United Nations demands that Myanmar’s government restores peace to Rakhine State. We have sent a letter to Myanmar’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand expressing our concern and encourage you and your networks to do the same.
Suggested Actions:
  • Pray for Peace in Rakhine State and for the refugees fleeing or already in Bangladesh. Remembering those who have died on both sides of the conflict.
  • Write a letter to Ambassador, HE Mr Tha Aung Nyun, Ambassador of Myanmar to Australia and New Zealand reiterating what the United Nations is asking Myanmar to do to restore peace in the region. Address is:
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
22 Arkana Street, Yarrolumla
ACT 2600
Australia
Pope calls for nonviolence in 2017 World Day of Peace message
12 December 2016
Pope Francis's World Day of Peace message calls us to “make active nonviolence our way of life.”
Today in his message, “Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace,” for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated each year on 1st January, Pope Francis urges people everywhere to practice active nonviolence and notes that the “decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a global effort to affirm the vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church, is heartened by and deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s call to political and religious leaders, heads of international organisations, and business and media executives to “apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. … To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative was formed to advance the requests made in the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence", the final statement of the landmark Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference held in Rome in April 2016 and cosponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pax Christi International, and other organisations.
“It was especially noteworthy that we received Pope Francis’ message at this time,” said Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International. “Last week we gathered with member organisations in Africa for our regional conference, ‘Nonviolence in Africa: Creating a future of hope,’ during which time the attendees endorsed the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence". Much of our time together during those days focused on how to reclaim civil space and how to promote nonviolence in many ways. The Holy Father’s message for 2017 deeply resonates with us as the work Pax Christi International and its member groups has been dedicated for years to finding creative and peaceful solutions to violent conflict.”
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/press-release-pope-calls-nonviolence-2017-world-day-peace-message/6440#sthash.kr7fvUpS.dpuf
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Pax Christi International statement on the occasion of the Action Day for Peace in Syria, 24 October 2016
On this UN Day of Action for Peace in Syria, we join all friends of peace around the world in calling the international community:
1. To immediately halt all aerial attacks on Aleppo and to expedite medical evacuations and unimpeded humanitarian access. Simultaneously efforts must be encouraged to restore a nationwide ceasefire with strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
2. To lift all sieges in accordance with the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2165, and to especially demand an immediate end to the “surrender or starve” siege strategy by the Syrian government. The UN should also strictly adhere to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
3. To protect civilians and promote accountability in Syria. EU member states need to support current calls for the UN General Assembly to hold a special Emergency Session on Syria.
4. To support the hundreds of peaceful Syrian civil society organizations delivering services and laying the foundations for a future peaceful Syria. Such organizations form a middle ground in between the Syrian regime and extremist terrorist groups.
5. To impose additional coercive measures on Russia and the government of Syria if they continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo and other places in Syria.
6. To undertake bolder diplomatic efforts like the recent condemnation of Russia and the announcement of a dialogue with key regional actors to prepare the ground for a political transition and post-conflict preparations.
7. To demand that Russia stop its military support of the Syrian authorities and extend the short term cease-fire.
8. To impose an arms embargo to all warring parties in the Syrian conflict. Syria is and will continue to be a broken, war-torn place for years to come, perhaps decades, if the international community doesn’t act more forcefully to stop the conflict. We call upon the international community to increase its support for a solution in Syria and bring the killing to an end.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-statement-occasion-action-day-peace-syria-24-october/6375
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Japan: On the Occasion of "Ten Days for Peace" 2016 - Building Peace Begins within Ourselves
The following statement was released last month by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan.
In response to the strong "Appeal for Peace" at Hiroshima by Saint Pope John Paul II on February 25, 1981, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan designated the days from August 6 to 15 as "Ten Days for Peace." These days were chosen because the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial Days and the Commemoration Day for the end of World War II all occur in this period. This year marks the 35th time we mark this period. It goes without saying that our prayers for peace, and the responsibility to learn and think about peace and to act for peace are never limited to this period. For example, we must not forget Okinawa Memorial Day on June 23.
We must pray for peace, learn and think about peace and act for whatever is needed for peace throughout the year. And yet, we are required to spend this particular period giving even more attention than usual to peace. World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force. Numerous people including children and women are killed or injured, forced to leave home, deprived of a normal life and even life itself.
Terrorist attacks occur in major cities in Europe, the United States or in Muslim nations. Many Japanese people have become victims. Terrorist attacks are waiting to happen at anytime and anywhere in the world. That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.
U.S. President Obama stressed in his speeches seven years ago in Prague and this past May in Hiroshima that we seek and pursue "a world without nuclear weapons." We should look to "mankind’s capacity to act together in solidarity and, on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to demonstrate concern for the more vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and for the protection of the common good" (cf. Pope Francis, Message for "World Day of Peace" 2016, 2).
Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world. Within our country, we cannot be indifferent to murders that occur on a daily basis, or to discrimination based on nationality, culture or gender, to domestic violence, hate speech, or sexual or power harassment. Appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly. And we must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence.
The Hebrew word "shalom," which for Christians is the original language of "peace," has various meanings: prosperity and success; wholeness; greetings; well-being; public and private peace; friendship; freedom and salvation. In other words, "peace" means that each one of us lives a fulfilling life, while valuing the dignity of one’s own and others’ lives and building friendly relationships with God and others. As Pope Francis points out, we must make efforts not to exclude a single person, but must love, forgive and accept each other because we all are embraced by the mercy of God. There is no peace where someone is excluded, dominated, disrespected or discriminated against. By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves. We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace. May the God of love and peace be with us (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11).
7 July 2016 Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Archbishop of Nagasaki, President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/japan-occasion-ten-days-peace-2016-building-peace-begins-within-ourselves/6230#sthash.1bEA97Ev.dpuf
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Brussels, 15 July 2016
Statement: Pax Christi International stands with the victims in Nice, calls for actions in support of justice and human security.
We awoke this morning to another shocking attack, this time in Nice, France, leaving at least 84 people dead, many of these children, and hundreds more injured and traumatised. The attack was perpetrated at festivities for Bastille Day—during which the French celebrate the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité—values which stand in stark contrast to the agenda of violence and extremism.
Yesterday’s events and the frequency of such attacks leave us stunned but resolute. We at Pax Christi International stand in solidarity with the people of Nice, with France, and with all people in every nation around the world who live in this reality where violence and the insecurity it breeds is the norm.
We condemn the horrific attack in Nice as we condemn the use of violence in every form, everywhere. The perpetrators of this violence must be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes under the rule of law. Let it be a testament to the victims of this attack and all who have suffered in attacks like this in every corner of the world that we will not tolerate violence nor the root causes which contribute to violence—oppression, inequality, exclusion, greed, discrimination and fear.
Let us embrace the hope that we can do better, that we can find solutions which do not resort to the false promise of violence.
Let us work to foster the conditions that lead to peace and nurture the systems that address conflict by working for human rights and justice for all.
Pax Christi International is concerned that the government of France, in collaboration with others in the international community, will respond to this attack by increasing military action in the Middle East. We believe that an appropriate response is one which upholds human rights and promotes justice—not further military action which plants the seeds of future attacks like the one in Nice.
Our movement asserts that violence only leads to more violence and that it can never achieve the peace and security in which every human being deserves to live. It is actions like the attack in France that strengthens our resolve to work for justice and peace in our world. Our 120 member organisations work for this on five continents, and today, in solidarity with the victims of this attack, the people of Nice and all those who yearn for a world free of violence, we pledge our commitment to cultivate the justice and peace which honour human dignity. Today we share our grief for all those who have died and we pray for all those affected by the brutality of this attack. As we firmly believe that violence will not ultimately prevail, our grief will not make us numb nor distract us from the work to be done.
Source: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/statement-pax-christi-international-stands-victims-nice-calls-actions-support-justice-and-human#sthash.H3tlmIdX.fqJxkejR.dpuf
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12th July 2016
Pax Christi International: Fifth anniversary sees South Sudan mired in violence
Pax Christi International denounces the fighting taking place in South Sudan between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last few days. Despite the 2015 peace agreement, hostilities continue, causing many people to be killed and thousands more to be displaced, forced to shelter in churches and other locations during the heavy rains.
Humanitarian assistance is needed throughout the country and people should be able to safely reach that help. They have immediate need for food, health care, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services. We pray for the people of South Sudan, who have been experiencing decades of violence and, consequently, humanitarian problems.
We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence contrary to the commitments made under the peace agreement. Also, we find that the recent attacks against the UN, its officials and on vulnerable people under their protection, to be outrageous. It is not the first time that UN sites have been under attack.
As long as parties do not settle their differences peacefully, grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and severe humanitarian crises will continue to take place. Under these conditions, no stable future can be built and the South Sudanese people will only know what it is to live in war, not peace.
We urge all parties to the conflict to immediately cease the hostilities. Also, as the UN Security Council has unanimously requested in its latest statement [1], the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors should be allowed access to civilians in need. Nevertheless, Pax Christi International wishes to underline that the main responsibility for protection of civilians remains with the South Sudanese transitional government.
Furthermore, we urge the leaders of the nations of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who brokered the 2015 ‘Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan’, to take an urgent and proactive role in resolving the current conflict in South Sudan and to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented.
Pax Christi International would also like to underline that an end is needed to the flood of deadly weapons around the world that facilitate violence and make the road to a just and lasting peace extremely difficult. In line with this, the South Sudan Council of Churches has reiterated the message of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International at the April 2016 conference on ‘Nonviolence and Just Peace’, that violence is never the solution and simply leads to more violence. [2]
With regard to the violence of recent days, we also support the latest statement of the South Sudan Council of Churches in which it states the following: “We pray for those who have been killed and for their families and we ask God's forgiveness for those who have done the killing. However we also urge repentance and a firm commitment from all armed individuals, forces and communities, and from their leaders, to create an atmosphere where violence is not an option.” [3]
This year, the state of South Sudan marks its fifth anniversary as a nation, but there is little reason to celebrate, as many citizens are suffering from hunger, in constant danger and traumatized. We therefore call on our global member organisations to pray and to stand in solidarity with all the victims of violence, with our member organisations in South Sudan, PAX [4] and Holy Trinity Peace Village, Kuron [5], and the Church and its leaders who have had an important role in grassroots and political peace-making. [6]
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-fifth-anniversary-sees-south-sudan-mired-violence/6182#sthash.JvAYClG4.AEwGmz9U.dpuf
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The following statement was affirmed by the participants of the Nonviolence and Just Peace gathering held in Rome, 11-13 April 2016. The gathering was co-convened by Pax Christi International, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, UISG/USG and many other international Catholic organisations.
As Christians committed to a more just and peaceful world we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence. With this conviction, and in recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, people from many countries gathered at the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International on April 11-13, 2016 in Rome.
Our assembly, people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops. Many of us live in communities experiencing violence and oppression. All of us are practitioners of justice and peace. We are grateful for the message to our conference from Pope Francis: “your thoughts on revitalizing the tools of nonviolence, and of active nonviolence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution”.
Looking at our world today
We live in a time of tremendous suffering, widespread trauma and fear linked to militarization, economic injustice, climate change, and a myriad of other specific forms of violence. In this context of normalized and systemic violence, those of us who stand in the Christian tradition are called to recognize the centrality of active nonviolence to the vision and message of Jesus; to the life and practice of the Catholic Church; and to our long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet.
We rejoice in the rich concrete experiences of people engaged in work for peace around the world, many of whose stories we heard during this conference. Participants shared their experiences of courageous negotiations with armed actors in Uganda and Colombia; working to protect the Article 9, the peace clause in the Japanese Constitution; accompaniment in Palestine; and countrywide peace education in the Philippines. They illuminate the creativity and power of nonviolent practices in many different situations of potential or actual violent conflict. Recent academic research, in fact, has confirmed that nonviolent resistance strategies are twice as effective as violent ones.
The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices. In all of this, Jesus is our inspiration and model.
Jesus and nonviolence
In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new, nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional love of God. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matthew 5: 44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons; to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil (Matthew 5: 39); to become peacemakers; to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3: 1-6); when he confronted the powerful at the Temple and purified it (John 2: 13-22); when he peacefully but determinedly challenged the men accusing a woman of adultery (John 8: 1-11); when on the night before he died he asked Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26: 52).
Neither passive nor weak, Jesus’ nonviolence was the power of love in action. In vision and deed, he is the revelation and embodiment of the Nonviolent God, a truth especially illuminated in the Cross and Resurrection. He calls us to develop the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking.
Clearly, the Word of God, the witness of Jesus, should never be used to justify violence, injustice or war. We confess that the people of God have betrayed this central message of the Gospel many times, participating in wars, persecution, oppression, exploitation, and discrimination.
We believe that there is no “just war”. Too often the “just war theory” has been used to endorse rather than prevent or limit war. Suggesting that a “just war” is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict.
We need a new framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence. A different path is clearly unfolding in recent Catholic social teaching. Pope John XXIII wrote that war is not a suitable way to restore rights; Pope Paul VI linked peace and development, and told the UN “no more war”; Pope John Paul II said that “war belongs to the tragic past, to history”; Pope Benedict XVI said that “loving the enemy is the nucleus of the Christian revolution”; and Pope Francis said “the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence. Faith and violence are incompatible”. He has also urged the “abolition of war”.
We propose that the Catholic Church develop and consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence. A Just Peace approach offers a vision and an ethic to build peace as well as to prevent, defuse, and to heal the damage of violent conflict. This ethic includes a commitment to human dignity and thriving relationships, with specific criteria, virtues, and practices to guide our actions. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking.
Living Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace
In that spirit we commit ourselves to furthering Catholic understanding and practice of active nonviolence on the road to just peace. As would-be disciples of Jesus, challenged and inspired by stories of hope and courage in these days, we call on the Church we love to:
  • continue developing Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. In particular, we call on Pope Francis to share with the world an encyclical on nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into the life, including the sacramental life, and work of the Church through dioceses, parishes, agencies, schools, universities, seminaries, religious orders, voluntary associations, and others;
  • promote nonviolent practices and strategies (e.g., nonviolent resistance, restorative justice, trauma healing, unarmed civilian protection, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding strategies);
  • initiate a global conversation on nonviolence within the Church, with people of other faiths, and with the larger world to respond to the monumental crises of our time with the vision and strategies of nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • no longer use or teach “just war theory”; continue advocating for the abolition of war and nuclear weapons;
  • lift up the prophetic voice of the church to challenge unjust world powers and to support and defend those nonviolent activists whose work for peace and justice put their lives at risk.
In every age, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with the wisdom to respond to the challenges of its time. In response to what is a global epidemic of violence, which Pope Francis has labeled a “world war in installments”, we are being called to invoke, pray over, teach and take decisive action. With our communities and organizations, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Holy See and the global Church to advance Gospel nonviolence.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/appeal-catholic-church-recommit-centrality-gospel-nonviolence/5855#sthash.RkIk6WZX.UIsHQuzR.dpuf
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Statement from Pax Christi International & The World Council of Churches - issued 15 March 2016.
Negotiations should end the conflict and bring political transition in Syria
In March 2016 we mark the 5th anniversary of the popular uprising in Syria. The first cessation of hostilities after five years of war in Syria began on 27 February 2016. Although there have been dozens of violations of the ceasefire daily, many communities have for the first time in years witnessed a period of calm and respite from bombardments. This fragile ceasefire follows UN Security Council Resolution 2268.[1]
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, there is little hope for an early end to the fighting in Syria. This ongoing war presents one of the greatest political and moral challenges of our time. Now an international conflict, it has the potential for additional destabilisation at the regional and international level.
The World Council of Churches and Pax Christi International urgently appeal to all involved parties to demonstrate good will and to take part in negotiations in Geneva. A fundamental ingredient for peace, political will, has been lacking in Syria. We call upon those governments with influence in this conflict to address the root causes of so much death and destruction and that are driving so many people from their homes.
Hundreds of thousands of victims have been claimed by the violence in Syria, which has left many millions more without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and, at the same time, to engage in dialogue toward a political transition that enables the country to return swiftly to peace. The intra-Syrian talks which begin on 15 March in Geneva must create the conditions for such a political transition. The Syrian people must be at the centre of the resolution of the conflict. Other states (in particular the members of the International Syria Support Group) and non-state actors must support a Syrian-led process.
Large-scale humanitarian aid to the afflicted populations throughout Syria and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries also must be assured. Increased aid to besieged areas and a lull in the violence could show the Syrian people that a political process could lead to results, thus contributing to public support for the necessary revival of the Geneva peace talks.
In recent weeks we have seen a new wave of peaceful demonstrations in Syria.[2] The Syrian people are clear about what they want: a united, democratic Syria where all citizens enjoy equal rights. The demonstrations spoke out clearly against dividing the country. That political momentum should not be lost. All parties must support civil society in its critical role in the process of ceasefire and human rights monitoring, violence reduction, trust building, facilitating public debate and conflict transformation.
The massive call for freedom and democracy in Syria underlines the urgency of prioritizing political transition to an inclusive and democratic state. That should be a primary goal in Geneva. A "Syria First" strategy is needed, instead of an "ISIS First" strategy. Only when the democratic forces in Syria are supported and protected can ISIS be defeated.
A large scale reconstruction programme which includes the reform of state institutions should be started and supervised by the United Nations. In the long term, a transparent process of transitional justice and reconciliation in which all ethnic, political and religious groups are included should be initiated and include active participation from the different sectors of civil society.
Our hearts break for the suffering experienced by people from all religious traditions who have become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence. The diversity of the region must be preserved and the rights of all regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender must be secured. The religious and social values of the Syrian people, including freedom, dignity and tolerance, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are essential references in the protection of the rights of all citizens.
As Christian organisations we stand with our brothers and sisters in the region and will support them in their efforts to restore peace in their countries and make sure they and other religions and ethnic groups will all be active participants in the future of the region.
Geneva/Brussels, 15 March 2016
Pax Christi InternationalRue du Progrès, 323B-1030 BrusselsBelgium
World Council of ChurchesCP 21001211 Geneva 2Switzerland
[1] http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12261.doc.htm
[2] https://www.facebook.com/ActivistHive/videos/1671451539759645/
- See more at: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/negotiations-should-end-conflict-and-bring-political-transition-syria/5723#sthash.Eg5sT6js.0RxmYtmv.dpuf
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The work for peace is a work of community. Below are the links of partners and organisations we support:
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Peace Movement Aotearoa
http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
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The Peace Place
http://www.thepeaceplace.org.nz
Caritas Aotearoa, NZ
http://www.caritas.org.nz/
Welcome
The diagram below shows parking spaces that are next to the Jubilee Hall. Besides the Jubilee Hall parks, Auckland Museum offers paid parking in the Museum car park at the top of Maunsell Road. There are also many Pay and Display car parks around the Auckland Domain and in neighbouring streets.
The David Wakim Lecture livestream link: https://youtu.be/MzYewZBISKs (set up to go live at 6.50pm NZ time on the 13 October 2022). The Lecture is free but you may like to make a koha towards costs. Our bank details: Pax Christi Trust 38-9001-0650399-06
April 2022
The first edition for 2022 is now ready to read....go to the newsletter tab and hover your curser over "First Quarter" to download your link to the newsletter.
December 2021 Thanks and farewell to Bridget
Bridget Crisp rsm came to work for us as Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand just over three years ago. As Manager and Promoter, she has brought a deep and broad commitment to peace and justice issues and to peace building.
Thank you, Bridget, for all you have done for us. You have been encouraging, friendly, caring and thoughtful. We have greatly appreciated your many skills and especially your IT expertise, an area in which many of us feel decidedly diffident!
Your efficiency and attention to detail have been a real boon.
You have shown yourself very concerned and well-informed about all thingsconcerning the environment – an area of peace-making we all need to embrace.Very importantly, as one of our members put it, you are “a confident, honest and knowledgeable woman.”
Thank you, too, for the positive energy you have enthused us with, an encouragement to us all. We will miss you greatly and wish you all the best for your studies at Otago University on the area of Peace and Conflict.
Good luck and we’ll keep in touch.
Mā te Atua kaha rawa, tātou katoa e manaaki, e tiaki.
June 2021 The April/ May Newsletter is now on the website. Apologies for the delay, but the website provider has changed formatting and we are still getting used to it! When you go to the 'Newletter tab', all you need to do is click on 'April/May' for the link to the newsletter.
March 2021
The February March Newsletter is now available to read. In this edition we focus on the personal reflections following the Christchurch Massacre of 2019, that claimed 51 lives. Go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy.
February 2021
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Pax Christi Asia Pacific Region. Together with our other regional members the following statement has been released.
January 2021
Welcome to the New Year! The first Pax Christi Aotearoa Newsletter for 2021 is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to get your copy. We also draw your attention to an online series that will be starting in early February...details can be found below...we hope you can join us!
November 2020
The latest edition of the Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand Newsletter is now available to download. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy.
September 2020
Many Blessings in this time of the Season of Creation.
The current newsletter is not out. The theme for this issue is 'environmental racism'. Also included in the newsletter is information regarding the David Wakim Lecture coming soon next month. The guest lecturer is John Minto. With uncertainty regarding lockdown level changes in Auckland, we will be pursuing livestreaming the lecture alongside attendees. We hope to have more information to you by the end of the month.
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page.
July 2020
Kia ora Pax Christi Friends
The Pax Christi Newsletter for June & July is now available to read. The emphasis is on nuclear testing and technology. We are coming close to the anniversary of the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagaskai, which happens next month. It is not a time to celebrate but to remember and to recommit our focus to protest against all nuclear weapons ...
To download your copy of the newsletter go to the tab at the top of this page...Previous newsletters can also be found there. Happy reading!
May 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
We hope all are well and safe during this time of COVID-19 impacting our lives. Keep safe and well with blessings of peace to you all.
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April May 2020 is now available on the website. Feel free to go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy. Happy reading!
March 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand.
The February March edition of the Newsletter is now available for you to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to find your copy. Happy Reading!
January 2020
Welcome to a New Year. From the perspective of Peace, 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. Feel free to read about some of the concerns in a our most recent newsletter. Go to the top of this page, where you will find the newsletter tab, then click and find our most recent newsletter, as well as back editions.
We continue to pray for Australia as the bush fires continue to burn. We pray for all victims and also fire fighters attempting to bring the fires under control. We also pray for all peoples in the Middle East, particularly the most vulnerable as tensions remain high following recent events.
November 2019
The October/November edition of the Pax Christi Newsletter is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy...
Please support the following event if you happen to be in Auckland...
September 2019
On the 26th September, Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the David Wakim Lecture 2019 at the St Columba Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland. Dr Susan Healy was our guest lecturer. The title of her lecture was "Building a Community of Communities. Challenges for Aotearoa New Zealand." Go to the events tab at the top of this page to download a copy of the talk that she gave on the 26th. A few photos from the well-supported event are also there.
The September Newsletter is now out...pay particular attention coming up in early October relating to PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa)...go to newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
21st September 2019
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand wishes everyone a day of peace this day. Along with our Pax Christi colleagues in the Asia Pacific Region we invite you to read the statement that we have prepared for this day. It can also be found in the statements tab, at the top of the page as a PDF document.
August 2019
The August Newsletter is now ready to download...go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to get your copy.
Mark your diaries...coming up in September...
On Wednesday August 14th, the Auckland Pax Christi group are hosting a prayer study session instead of their normal meeting. Feel free to come along to the Peace Place (in Emily Place) and join us. The meeting begins at 6 pm. Please contact us if you are coming. Details of the study session are in the flyer below.
July 2019
The July Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter to find and download your copy.
June 2019
The June Newsletter is now out. Click on the newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
Please join us for the following event we are co-hosting alongside West Papua Action Auckland on Monday July 1st...
May 2019
The Newsletter for May is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the homepage to find and download your copy.
April 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April is now available to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
March 2019
The Pax Christi Newsletter for February / March is now out. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of the home page to find and download your copy.
December 2018
The newsletter for December/January is out...feel free to go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page and download your copy. I also draw your attention to the the upcoming book launch happening in February...please read, pass onto your networks and support.
November 2018
The newsletter for this month is now ready for downloading...go to the newsletter tab and download your copy. At the same time I encourage you to support the book launch of Praying for Peace coming up later in the month as well as the Book launch of Fr Peter Murnane's book Archways to the Infinite. Information about this book can be found in the newsletter.
Coming up in November...the much anticipated book launch of 'Praying for Peace'. A lot of hard work went into developing this resource...please join us at the book launch....
October 2018
The October Newsletter is ready to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
September 2018
The September Newsletter is now out....feel free to read. Go to the Newsletter tab to find and download your copy. Also remember that the David Wakim Lecture is nearly here...please support.
August 2018
The August Newsletter is now out....go to the newsletter tab to download your copy.
New Zealand becomes the 14th State to Ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand has been a strong advocate against the possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons since our beginnings in the mid 1980s. This has included our strong support for ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), one of many organisations that have rallied the New Zealand government to formally ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons on the 31st July 2018. New Zealand signs as the 14th State to have ratified the treaty.
Aotearoa New Zealand has been against nuclear weapons since the 1960s when we signed a Treaty banning atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. In 1973, New Zealand took France to the International Court of Justice to protest against its nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. Around the same time,New Zealand sent two frigates into the testing zone to put a stop to testing in the area.
In 1983, the focus shifted to ships thought to be carrying nuclear arms resulting in protests against the USS Texas in 1983 and the USS Truxton in 1976. In 1985 the USS Buchanan was banned from New Zealand ports because it refused to declare whether it had nuclear weapons on board or not. As a result, diplomatic ties with Washington were severed. Also, in 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship “Rainbow Warrior” was bombed in Auckland harbour with the loss of photographer, Fernando Pereira.
In 1987, the New Zealand Parliament signed a Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act, declaring itself to be nuclear free zone. This resulted in the banning all nuclear power ships or ships carrying nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand territorial waters and resulted in New Zealand being ejected from the ANZUS agreement with the United States and Australia, its main defence treaty.
Now with the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the next key step in the campaign against disarmament and prohibition of nuclear weapons, is to encourage other Nation States to ratify this treaty. If 50 nations ratify the treaty, then it becomes actionable.
The Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons strengthens the position of those not seeing any need to further develop nuclear weapons.
In the next few days, we remember the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We remember
the horror that the people of these two cities went through – the devastation and tragic loss of life. Surely, the world has no need to go through that again.
Our thanks and congratulations go out to all those who drew up and developed these treaties, to the countries who have signed and are signing them, and most importantly, to the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who continue to this day to tell their story in the hope that they can make the world a better place.
Bridget Crisp & Kevin McBride
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
2nd August 2018
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If you are in the Auckland Central area on 6th August....join us at Emily Place to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
Coming Up in August ...is a Book Club event where Pax Christi will be studying Marie Dennis edited book 'Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel NonViolence'. If you are interested contact Bridget Crisp rsm on bridget.crisp@xtra.co.nz . The book club will be at the Peace Place, Auckland...but if you are outside Auckland - why not set up your own book club. The book can be ordered online from your preferred provider.
July 2018
Freedom of speech is the focus of this issue of the newsletter...which is timely as freedom of speech has been the topic recently in media and social media circles. Click on the newsletter tab and find out more.
June 2018
The June newsletter is now out. In this issue we reflect on World Environment Day and World Oceans Day...Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
May 2018
The May newsletter is out...check out the recent promotion tour around NZ where we met many passionate people....Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
April 2018
The April Newsletter is out...go to the tab marked 'Newsletters', click on the link for the April Newsletter and check out the news and views of Pax Christi...
March 2018
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The Pax Christi Newsletter for March is now available to read. In this edition, we explore the very early founders of Pax Christi, in France 1945...
Click on link below to read more...
Pax Christi Newsletter March 2018Pax Christi Newsletter March.pdf (1.38MB)
2 October 2017
The Ethnic Cleansing happening within Myanmar
The term ethnic cleansing is not used lightly … and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that “the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” to the UN Human Rights Council on the 11 September. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, agrees with the High Commissioner statements when he said on Wednesday the 13th of September to a news conference:
“When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, could you find a better word to describe it?"
The UN Security council has had a series of meetings to discuss the situation happening in Myanmar, as some 370,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh following security operations, in late August, by Myanmar’s military in the State of Rakhine. Reports of civilian killings and villages being wiped out have managed to get beyond Myanmar’s state borders. The UN security council are asking Myanmar’s government to:
- suspend military action
- end violence
- uphold the rule of law
- recognise the right of return of all those who had to leave the country.
Myanmar’s government has stated they are targeting “terrorists” while refugees say it is an offensive to push Rohingya out of the country. At international level, there is growing concern that Russia and China will support Myanmar’s government actions and resist the strong response that the UN want to send to the government.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned with is happening in Rakhine State of Myanmar and endorse the United Nations demands that Myanmar’s government restores peace to Rakhine State. We have sent a letter to Myanmar’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand expressing our concern and encourage you and your networks to do the same.
Suggested Actions:
  • Pray for Peace in Rakhine State and for the refugees fleeing or already in Bangladesh. Remembering those who have died on both sides of the conflict.
  • Write a letter to Ambassador, HE Mr Tha Aung Nyun, Ambassador of Myanmar to Australia and New Zealand reiterating what the United Nations is asking Myanmar to do to restore peace in the region. Address is:
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
22 Arkana Street, Yarrolumla
ACT 2600
Australia
Pope calls for nonviolence in 2017 World Day of Peace message
12 December 2016
Pope Francis's World Day of Peace message calls us to “make active nonviolence our way of life.”
Today in his message, “Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace,” for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated each year on 1st January, Pope Francis urges people everywhere to practice active nonviolence and notes that the “decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a global effort to affirm the vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church, is heartened by and deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s call to political and religious leaders, heads of international organisations, and business and media executives to “apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. … To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative was formed to advance the requests made in the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence", the final statement of the landmark Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference held in Rome in April 2016 and cosponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pax Christi International, and other organisations.
“It was especially noteworthy that we received Pope Francis’ message at this time,” said Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International. “Last week we gathered with member organisations in Africa for our regional conference, ‘Nonviolence in Africa: Creating a future of hope,’ during which time the attendees endorsed the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence". Much of our time together during those days focused on how to reclaim civil space and how to promote nonviolence in many ways. The Holy Father’s message for 2017 deeply resonates with us as the work Pax Christi International and its member groups has been dedicated for years to finding creative and peaceful solutions to violent conflict.”
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/press-release-pope-calls-nonviolence-2017-world-day-peace-message/6440#sthash.kr7fvUpS.dpuf
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Pax Christi International statement on the occasion of the Action Day for Peace in Syria, 24 October 2016
On this UN Day of Action for Peace in Syria, we join all friends of peace around the world in calling the international community:
1. To immediately halt all aerial attacks on Aleppo and to expedite medical evacuations and unimpeded humanitarian access. Simultaneously efforts must be encouraged to restore a nationwide ceasefire with strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
2. To lift all sieges in accordance with the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2165, and to especially demand an immediate end to the “surrender or starve” siege strategy by the Syrian government. The UN should also strictly adhere to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
3. To protect civilians and promote accountability in Syria. EU member states need to support current calls for the UN General Assembly to hold a special Emergency Session on Syria.
4. To support the hundreds of peaceful Syrian civil society organizations delivering services and laying the foundations for a future peaceful Syria. Such organizations form a middle ground in between the Syrian regime and extremist terrorist groups.
5. To impose additional coercive measures on Russia and the government of Syria if they continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo and other places in Syria.
6. To undertake bolder diplomatic efforts like the recent condemnation of Russia and the announcement of a dialogue with key regional actors to prepare the ground for a political transition and post-conflict preparations.
7. To demand that Russia stop its military support of the Syrian authorities and extend the short term cease-fire.
8. To impose an arms embargo to all warring parties in the Syrian conflict. Syria is and will continue to be a broken, war-torn place for years to come, perhaps decades, if the international community doesn’t act more forcefully to stop the conflict. We call upon the international community to increase its support for a solution in Syria and bring the killing to an end.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-statement-occasion-action-day-peace-syria-24-october/6375
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Japan: On the Occasion of "Ten Days for Peace" 2016 - Building Peace Begins within Ourselves
The following statement was released last month by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan.
In response to the strong "Appeal for Peace" at Hiroshima by Saint Pope John Paul II on February 25, 1981, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan designated the days from August 6 to 15 as "Ten Days for Peace." These days were chosen because the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial Days and the Commemoration Day for the end of World War II all occur in this period. This year marks the 35th time we mark this period. It goes without saying that our prayers for peace, and the responsibility to learn and think about peace and to act for peace are never limited to this period. For example, we must not forget Okinawa Memorial Day on June 23.
We must pray for peace, learn and think about peace and act for whatever is needed for peace throughout the year. And yet, we are required to spend this particular period giving even more attention than usual to peace. World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force. Numerous people including children and women are killed or injured, forced to leave home, deprived of a normal life and even life itself.
Terrorist attacks occur in major cities in Europe, the United States or in Muslim nations. Many Japanese people have become victims. Terrorist attacks are waiting to happen at anytime and anywhere in the world. That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.
U.S. President Obama stressed in his speeches seven years ago in Prague and this past May in Hiroshima that we seek and pursue "a world without nuclear weapons." We should look to "mankind’s capacity to act together in solidarity and, on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to demonstrate concern for the more vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and for the protection of the common good" (cf. Pope Francis, Message for "World Day of Peace" 2016, 2).
Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world. Within our country, we cannot be indifferent to murders that occur on a daily basis, or to discrimination based on nationality, culture or gender, to domestic violence, hate speech, or sexual or power harassment. Appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly. And we must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence.
The Hebrew word "shalom," which for Christians is the original language of "peace," has various meanings: prosperity and success; wholeness; greetings; well-being; public and private peace; friendship; freedom and salvation. In other words, "peace" means that each one of us lives a fulfilling life, while valuing the dignity of one’s own and others’ lives and building friendly relationships with God and others. As Pope Francis points out, we must make efforts not to exclude a single person, but must love, forgive and accept each other because we all are embraced by the mercy of God. There is no peace where someone is excluded, dominated, disrespected or discriminated against. By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves. We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace. May the God of love and peace be with us (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11).
7 July 2016 Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Archbishop of Nagasaki, President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/japan-occasion-ten-days-peace-2016-building-peace-begins-within-ourselves/6230#sthash.1bEA97Ev.dpuf
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Brussels, 15 July 2016
Statement: Pax Christi International stands with the victims in Nice, calls for actions in support of justice and human security.
We awoke this morning to another shocking attack, this time in Nice, France, leaving at least 84 people dead, many of these children, and hundreds more injured and traumatised. The attack was perpetrated at festivities for Bastille Day—during which the French celebrate the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité—values which stand in stark contrast to the agenda of violence and extremism.
Yesterday’s events and the frequency of such attacks leave us stunned but resolute. We at Pax Christi International stand in solidarity with the people of Nice, with France, and with all people in every nation around the world who live in this reality where violence and the insecurity it breeds is the norm.
We condemn the horrific attack in Nice as we condemn the use of violence in every form, everywhere. The perpetrators of this violence must be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes under the rule of law. Let it be a testament to the victims of this attack and all who have suffered in attacks like this in every corner of the world that we will not tolerate violence nor the root causes which contribute to violence—oppression, inequality, exclusion, greed, discrimination and fear.
Let us embrace the hope that we can do better, that we can find solutions which do not resort to the false promise of violence.
Let us work to foster the conditions that lead to peace and nurture the systems that address conflict by working for human rights and justice for all.
Pax Christi International is concerned that the government of France, in collaboration with others in the international community, will respond to this attack by increasing military action in the Middle East. We believe that an appropriate response is one which upholds human rights and promotes justice—not further military action which plants the seeds of future attacks like the one in Nice.
Our movement asserts that violence only leads to more violence and that it can never achieve the peace and security in which every human being deserves to live. It is actions like the attack in France that strengthens our resolve to work for justice and peace in our world. Our 120 member organisations work for this on five continents, and today, in solidarity with the victims of this attack, the people of Nice and all those who yearn for a world free of violence, we pledge our commitment to cultivate the justice and peace which honour human dignity. Today we share our grief for all those who have died and we pray for all those affected by the brutality of this attack. As we firmly believe that violence will not ultimately prevail, our grief will not make us numb nor distract us from the work to be done.
Source: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/statement-pax-christi-international-stands-victims-nice-calls-actions-support-justice-and-human#sthash.H3tlmIdX.fqJxkejR.dpuf
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12th July 2016
Pax Christi International: Fifth anniversary sees South Sudan mired in violence
Pax Christi International denounces the fighting taking place in South Sudan between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last few days. Despite the 2015 peace agreement, hostilities continue, causing many people to be killed and thousands more to be displaced, forced to shelter in churches and other locations during the heavy rains.
Humanitarian assistance is needed throughout the country and people should be able to safely reach that help. They have immediate need for food, health care, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services. We pray for the people of South Sudan, who have been experiencing decades of violence and, consequently, humanitarian problems.
We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence contrary to the commitments made under the peace agreement. Also, we find that the recent attacks against the UN, its officials and on vulnerable people under their protection, to be outrageous. It is not the first time that UN sites have been under attack.
As long as parties do not settle their differences peacefully, grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and severe humanitarian crises will continue to take place. Under these conditions, no stable future can be built and the South Sudanese people will only know what it is to live in war, not peace.
We urge all parties to the conflict to immediately cease the hostilities. Also, as the UN Security Council has unanimously requested in its latest statement [1], the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors should be allowed access to civilians in need. Nevertheless, Pax Christi International wishes to underline that the main responsibility for protection of civilians remains with the South Sudanese transitional government.
Furthermore, we urge the leaders of the nations of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who brokered the 2015 ‘Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan’, to take an urgent and proactive role in resolving the current conflict in South Sudan and to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented.
Pax Christi International would also like to underline that an end is needed to the flood of deadly weapons around the world that facilitate violence and make the road to a just and lasting peace extremely difficult. In line with this, the South Sudan Council of Churches has reiterated the message of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International at the April 2016 conference on ‘Nonviolence and Just Peace’, that violence is never the solution and simply leads to more violence. [2]
With regard to the violence of recent days, we also support the latest statement of the South Sudan Council of Churches in which it states the following: “We pray for those who have been killed and for their families and we ask God's forgiveness for those who have done the killing. However we also urge repentance and a firm commitment from all armed individuals, forces and communities, and from their leaders, to create an atmosphere where violence is not an option.” [3]
This year, the state of South Sudan marks its fifth anniversary as a nation, but there is little reason to celebrate, as many citizens are suffering from hunger, in constant danger and traumatized. We therefore call on our global member organisations to pray and to stand in solidarity with all the victims of violence, with our member organisations in South Sudan, PAX [4] and Holy Trinity Peace Village, Kuron [5], and the Church and its leaders who have had an important role in grassroots and political peace-making. [6]
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-fifth-anniversary-sees-south-sudan-mired-violence/6182#sthash.JvAYClG4.AEwGmz9U.dpuf
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The following statement was affirmed by the participants of the Nonviolence and Just Peace gathering held in Rome, 11-13 April 2016. The gathering was co-convened by Pax Christi International, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, UISG/USG and many other international Catholic organisations.
As Christians committed to a more just and peaceful world we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence. With this conviction, and in recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, people from many countries gathered at the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International on April 11-13, 2016 in Rome.
Our assembly, people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops. Many of us live in communities experiencing violence and oppression. All of us are practitioners of justice and peace. We are grateful for the message to our conference from Pope Francis: “your thoughts on revitalizing the tools of nonviolence, and of active nonviolence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution”.
Looking at our world today
We live in a time of tremendous suffering, widespread trauma and fear linked to militarization, economic injustice, climate change, and a myriad of other specific forms of violence. In this context of normalized and systemic violence, those of us who stand in the Christian tradition are called to recognize the centrality of active nonviolence to the vision and message of Jesus; to the life and practice of the Catholic Church; and to our long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet.
We rejoice in the rich concrete experiences of people engaged in work for peace around the world, many of whose stories we heard during this conference. Participants shared their experiences of courageous negotiations with armed actors in Uganda and Colombia; working to protect the Article 9, the peace clause in the Japanese Constitution; accompaniment in Palestine; and countrywide peace education in the Philippines. They illuminate the creativity and power of nonviolent practices in many different situations of potential or actual violent conflict. Recent academic research, in fact, has confirmed that nonviolent resistance strategies are twice as effective as violent ones.
The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices. In all of this, Jesus is our inspiration and model.
Jesus and nonviolence
In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new, nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional love of God. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matthew 5: 44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons; to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil (Matthew 5: 39); to become peacemakers; to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3: 1-6); when he confronted the powerful at the Temple and purified it (John 2: 13-22); when he peacefully but determinedly challenged the men accusing a woman of adultery (John 8: 1-11); when on the night before he died he asked Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26: 52).
Neither passive nor weak, Jesus’ nonviolence was the power of love in action. In vision and deed, he is the revelation and embodiment of the Nonviolent God, a truth especially illuminated in the Cross and Resurrection. He calls us to develop the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking.
Clearly, the Word of God, the witness of Jesus, should never be used to justify violence, injustice or war. We confess that the people of God have betrayed this central message of the Gospel many times, participating in wars, persecution, oppression, exploitation, and discrimination.
We believe that there is no “just war”. Too often the “just war theory” has been used to endorse rather than prevent or limit war. Suggesting that a “just war” is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict.
We need a new framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence. A different path is clearly unfolding in recent Catholic social teaching. Pope John XXIII wrote that war is not a suitable way to restore rights; Pope Paul VI linked peace and development, and told the UN “no more war”; Pope John Paul II said that “war belongs to the tragic past, to history”; Pope Benedict XVI said that “loving the enemy is the nucleus of the Christian revolution”; and Pope Francis said “the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence. Faith and violence are incompatible”. He has also urged the “abolition of war”.
We propose that the Catholic Church develop and consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence. A Just Peace approach offers a vision and an ethic to build peace as well as to prevent, defuse, and to heal the damage of violent conflict. This ethic includes a commitment to human dignity and thriving relationships, with specific criteria, virtues, and practices to guide our actions. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking.
Living Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace
In that spirit we commit ourselves to furthering Catholic understanding and practice of active nonviolence on the road to just peace. As would-be disciples of Jesus, challenged and inspired by stories of hope and courage in these days, we call on the Church we love to:
  • continue developing Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. In particular, we call on Pope Francis to share with the world an encyclical on nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into the life, including the sacramental life, and work of the Church through dioceses, parishes, agencies, schools, universities, seminaries, religious orders, voluntary associations, and others;
  • promote nonviolent practices and strategies (e.g., nonviolent resistance, restorative justice, trauma healing, unarmed civilian protection, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding strategies);
  • initiate a global conversation on nonviolence within the Church, with people of other faiths, and with the larger world to respond to the monumental crises of our time with the vision and strategies of nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • no longer use or teach “just war theory”; continue advocating for the abolition of war and nuclear weapons;
  • lift up the prophetic voice of the church to challenge unjust world powers and to support and defend those nonviolent activists whose work for peace and justice put their lives at risk.
In every age, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with the wisdom to respond to the challenges of its time. In response to what is a global epidemic of violence, which Pope Francis has labeled a “world war in installments”, we are being called to invoke, pray over, teach and take decisive action. With our communities and organizations, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Holy See and the global Church to advance Gospel nonviolence.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/appeal-catholic-church-recommit-centrality-gospel-nonviolence/5855#sthash.RkIk6WZX.UIsHQuzR.dpuf
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Statement from Pax Christi International & The World Council of Churches - issued 15 March 2016.
Negotiations should end the conflict and bring political transition in Syria
In March 2016 we mark the 5th anniversary of the popular uprising in Syria. The first cessation of hostilities after five years of war in Syria began on 27 February 2016. Although there have been dozens of violations of the ceasefire daily, many communities have for the first time in years witnessed a period of calm and respite from bombardments. This fragile ceasefire follows UN Security Council Resolution 2268.[1]
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, there is little hope for an early end to the fighting in Syria. This ongoing war presents one of the greatest political and moral challenges of our time. Now an international conflict, it has the potential for additional destabilisation at the regional and international level.
The World Council of Churches and Pax Christi International urgently appeal to all involved parties to demonstrate good will and to take part in negotiations in Geneva. A fundamental ingredient for peace, political will, has been lacking in Syria. We call upon those governments with influence in this conflict to address the root causes of so much death and destruction and that are driving so many people from their homes.
Hundreds of thousands of victims have been claimed by the violence in Syria, which has left many millions more without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and, at the same time, to engage in dialogue toward a political transition that enables the country to return swiftly to peace. The intra-Syrian talks which begin on 15 March in Geneva must create the conditions for such a political transition. The Syrian people must be at the centre of the resolution of the conflict. Other states (in particular the members of the International Syria Support Group) and non-state actors must support a Syrian-led process.
Large-scale humanitarian aid to the afflicted populations throughout Syria and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries also must be assured. Increased aid to besieged areas and a lull in the violence could show the Syrian people that a political process could lead to results, thus contributing to public support for the necessary revival of the Geneva peace talks.
In recent weeks we have seen a new wave of peaceful demonstrations in Syria.[2] The Syrian people are clear about what they want: a united, democratic Syria where all citizens enjoy equal rights. The demonstrations spoke out clearly against dividing the country. That political momentum should not be lost. All parties must support civil society in its critical role in the process of ceasefire and human rights monitoring, violence reduction, trust building, facilitating public debate and conflict transformation.
The massive call for freedom and democracy in Syria underlines the urgency of prioritizing political transition to an inclusive and democratic state. That should be a primary goal in Geneva. A "Syria First" strategy is needed, instead of an "ISIS First" strategy. Only when the democratic forces in Syria are supported and protected can ISIS be defeated.
A large scale reconstruction programme which includes the reform of state institutions should be started and supervised by the United Nations. In the long term, a transparent process of transitional justice and reconciliation in which all ethnic, political and religious groups are included should be initiated and include active participation from the different sectors of civil society.
Our hearts break for the suffering experienced by people from all religious traditions who have become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence. The diversity of the region must be preserved and the rights of all regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender must be secured. The religious and social values of the Syrian people, including freedom, dignity and tolerance, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are essential references in the protection of the rights of all citizens.
As Christian organisations we stand with our brothers and sisters in the region and will support them in their efforts to restore peace in their countries and make sure they and other religions and ethnic groups will all be active participants in the future of the region.
Geneva/Brussels, 15 March 2016
Pax Christi InternationalRue du Progrès, 323B-1030 BrusselsBelgium
World Council of ChurchesCP 21001211 Geneva 2Switzerland
[1] http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12261.doc.htm
[2] https://www.facebook.com/ActivistHive/videos/1671451539759645/
- See more at: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/negotiations-should-end-conflict-and-bring-political-transition-syria/5723#sthash.Eg5sT6js.0RxmYtmv.dpuf
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June 2021 March 2021
The February March Newsletter is now available to read. In this edition we focus on the personal reflections following the Christchurch Massacre of 2019, that claimed 51 lives. Go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy.
February 2021
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Pax Christi Asia Pacific Region. Together with our other regional members the following statement has been released.
January 2021
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November 2020
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September 2020
Many Blessings in this time of the Season of Creation.
The current newsletter is not out. The theme for this issue is 'environmental racism'. Also included in the newsletter is information regarding the David Wakim Lecture coming soon next month. The guest lecturer is John Minto. With uncertainty regarding lockdown level changes in Auckland, we will be pursuing livestreaming the lecture alongside attendees. We hope to have more information to you by the end of the month.
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July 2020
Kia ora Pax Christi Friends
The Pax Christi Newsletter for June & July is now available to read. The emphasis is on nuclear testing and technology. We are coming close to the anniversary of the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagaskai, which happens next month. It is not a time to celebrate but to remember and to recommit our focus to protest against all nuclear weapons ...
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May 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
We hope all are well and safe during this time of COVID-19 impacting our lives. Keep safe and well with blessings of peace to you all.
The Pax Christi Newsletter for April May 2020 is now available on the website. Feel free to go to the Newsletter tab at the top of this page to download your copy. Happy reading!
March 2020
Kia ora Friends of Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand.
The February March edition of the Newsletter is now available for you to download. Please go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page to find your copy. Happy Reading!
January 2020
Welcome to a New Year. From the perspective of Peace, 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. Feel free to read about some of the concerns in a our most recent newsletter. Go to the top of this page, where you will find the newsletter tab, then click and find our most recent newsletter, as well as back editions.
We continue to pray for Australia as the bush fires continue to burn. We pray for all victims and also fire fighters attempting to bring the fires under control. We also pray for all peoples in the Middle East, particularly the most vulnerable as tensions remain high following recent events.
November 2019
The October/November edition of the Pax Christi Newsletter is now available to read. Go to the newsletter tab at the top of the page to find and download your copy...
Please support the following event if you happen to be in Auckland...
September 2019
On the 26th September, Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the David Wakim Lecture 2019 at the St Columba Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland. Dr Susan Healy was our guest lecturer. The title of her lecture was "Building a Community of Communities. Challenges for Aotearoa New Zealand." Go to the events tab at the top of this page to download a copy of the talk that she gave on the 26th. A few photos from the well-supported event are also there.
The September Newsletter is now out...pay particular attention coming up in early October relating to PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa)...go to newsletter tab to find and download your copy.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
21st September 2019
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand wishes everyone a day of peace this day. Along with our Pax Christi colleagues in the Asia Pacific Region we invite you to read the statement that we have prepared for this day. It can also be found in the statements tab, at the top of the page as a PDF document.
August 2019
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Mark your diaries...coming up in September...
On Wednesday August 14th, the Auckland Pax Christi group are hosting a prayer study session instead of their normal meeting. Feel free to come along to the Peace Place (in Emily Place) and join us. The meeting begins at 6 pm. Please contact us if you are coming. Details of the study session are in the flyer below.
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December 2018
The newsletter for December/January is out...feel free to go to the newsletter tab at the top of this page and download your copy. I also draw your attention to the the upcoming book launch happening in February...please read, pass onto your networks and support.
November 2018
The newsletter for this month is now ready for downloading...go to the newsletter tab and download your copy. At the same time I encourage you to support the book launch of Praying for Peace coming up later in the month as well as the Book launch of Fr Peter Murnane's book Archways to the Infinite. Information about this book can be found in the newsletter.
Coming up in November...the much anticipated book launch of 'Praying for Peace'. A lot of hard work went into developing this resource...please join us at the book launch....
October 2018
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September 2018
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August 2018
The August Newsletter is now out....go to the newsletter tab to download your copy.
New Zealand becomes the 14th State to Ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand has been a strong advocate against the possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons since our beginnings in the mid 1980s. This has included our strong support for ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), one of many organisations that have rallied the New Zealand government to formally ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons on the 31st July 2018. New Zealand signs as the 14th State to have ratified the treaty.
Aotearoa New Zealand has been against nuclear weapons since the 1960s when we signed a Treaty banning atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. In 1973, New Zealand took France to the International Court of Justice to protest against its nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. Around the same time,New Zealand sent two frigates into the testing zone to put a stop to testing in the area.
In 1983, the focus shifted to ships thought to be carrying nuclear arms resulting in protests against the USS Texas in 1983 and the USS Truxton in 1976. In 1985 the USS Buchanan was banned from New Zealand ports because it refused to declare whether it had nuclear weapons on board or not. As a result, diplomatic ties with Washington were severed. Also, in 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship “Rainbow Warrior” was bombed in Auckland harbour with the loss of photographer, Fernando Pereira.
In 1987, the New Zealand Parliament signed a Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act, declaring itself to be nuclear free zone. This resulted in the banning all nuclear power ships or ships carrying nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand territorial waters and resulted in New Zealand being ejected from the ANZUS agreement with the United States and Australia, its main defence treaty.
Now with the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the next key step in the campaign against disarmament and prohibition of nuclear weapons, is to encourage other Nation States to ratify this treaty. If 50 nations ratify the treaty, then it becomes actionable.
The Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons strengthens the position of those not seeing any need to further develop nuclear weapons.
In the next few days, we remember the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We remember
the horror that the people of these two cities went through – the devastation and tragic loss of life. Surely, the world has no need to go through that again.
Our thanks and congratulations go out to all those who drew up and developed these treaties, to the countries who have signed and are signing them, and most importantly, to the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who continue to this day to tell their story in the hope that they can make the world a better place.
Bridget Crisp & Kevin McBride
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
2nd August 2018
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If you are in the Auckland Central area on 6th August....join us at Emily Place to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
Coming Up in August ...is a Book Club event where Pax Christi will be studying Marie Dennis edited book 'Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel NonViolence'. If you are interested contact Bridget Crisp rsm on bridget.crisp@xtra.co.nz . The book club will be at the Peace Place, Auckland...but if you are outside Auckland - why not set up your own book club. The book can be ordered online from your preferred provider.
July 2018
Freedom of speech is the focus of this issue of the newsletter...which is timely as freedom of speech has been the topic recently in media and social media circles. Click on the newsletter tab and find out more.
June 2018
The June newsletter is now out. In this issue we reflect on World Environment Day and World Oceans Day...Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
May 2018
The May newsletter is out...check out the recent promotion tour around NZ where we met many passionate people....Go to the Newsletter tab and find out more.
April 2018
The April Newsletter is out...go to the tab marked 'Newsletters', click on the link for the April Newsletter and check out the news and views of Pax Christi...
March 2018
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The Pax Christi Newsletter for March is now available to read. In this edition, we explore the very early founders of Pax Christi, in France 1945...
Click on link below to read more...
Pax Christi Newsletter March 2018Pax Christi Newsletter March.pdf (1.38MB)
2 October 2017
The Ethnic Cleansing happening within Myanmar
The term ethnic cleansing is not used lightly … and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that “the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” to the UN Human Rights Council on the 11 September. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, agrees with the High Commissioner statements when he said on Wednesday the 13th of September to a news conference:
“When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, could you find a better word to describe it?"
The UN Security council has had a series of meetings to discuss the situation happening in Myanmar, as some 370,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh following security operations, in late August, by Myanmar’s military in the State of Rakhine. Reports of civilian killings and villages being wiped out have managed to get beyond Myanmar’s state borders. The UN security council are asking Myanmar’s government to:
- suspend military action
- end violence
- uphold the rule of law
- recognise the right of return of all those who had to leave the country.
Myanmar’s government has stated they are targeting “terrorists” while refugees say it is an offensive to push Rohingya out of the country. At international level, there is growing concern that Russia and China will support Myanmar’s government actions and resist the strong response that the UN want to send to the government.
Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned with is happening in Rakhine State of Myanmar and endorse the United Nations demands that Myanmar’s government restores peace to Rakhine State. We have sent a letter to Myanmar’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand expressing our concern and encourage you and your networks to do the same.
Suggested Actions:
  • Pray for Peace in Rakhine State and for the refugees fleeing or already in Bangladesh. Remembering those who have died on both sides of the conflict.
  • Write a letter to Ambassador, HE Mr Tha Aung Nyun, Ambassador of Myanmar to Australia and New Zealand reiterating what the United Nations is asking Myanmar to do to restore peace in the region. Address is:
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
22 Arkana Street, Yarrolumla
ACT 2600
Australia
Pope calls for nonviolence in 2017 World Day of Peace message
12 December 2016
Pope Francis's World Day of Peace message calls us to “make active nonviolence our way of life.”
Today in his message, “Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace,” for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated each year on 1st January, Pope Francis urges people everywhere to practice active nonviolence and notes that the “decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a global effort to affirm the vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church, is heartened by and deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s call to political and religious leaders, heads of international organisations, and business and media executives to “apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. … To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict.”
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative was formed to advance the requests made in the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence", the final statement of the landmark Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference held in Rome in April 2016 and cosponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pax Christi International, and other organisations.
“It was especially noteworthy that we received Pope Francis’ message at this time,” said Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International. “Last week we gathered with member organisations in Africa for our regional conference, ‘Nonviolence in Africa: Creating a future of hope,’ during which time the attendees endorsed the "Appeal to the Catholic Church to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence". Much of our time together during those days focused on how to reclaim civil space and how to promote nonviolence in many ways. The Holy Father’s message for 2017 deeply resonates with us as the work Pax Christi International and its member groups has been dedicated for years to finding creative and peaceful solutions to violent conflict.”
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/press-release-pope-calls-nonviolence-2017-world-day-peace-message/6440#sthash.kr7fvUpS.dpuf
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Pax Christi International statement on the occasion of the Action Day for Peace in Syria, 24 October 2016
On this UN Day of Action for Peace in Syria, we join all friends of peace around the world in calling the international community:
1. To immediately halt all aerial attacks on Aleppo and to expedite medical evacuations and unimpeded humanitarian access. Simultaneously efforts must be encouraged to restore a nationwide ceasefire with strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
2. To lift all sieges in accordance with the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2165, and to especially demand an immediate end to the “surrender or starve” siege strategy by the Syrian government. The UN should also strictly adhere to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
3. To protect civilians and promote accountability in Syria. EU member states need to support current calls for the UN General Assembly to hold a special Emergency Session on Syria.
4. To support the hundreds of peaceful Syrian civil society organizations delivering services and laying the foundations for a future peaceful Syria. Such organizations form a middle ground in between the Syrian regime and extremist terrorist groups.
5. To impose additional coercive measures on Russia and the government of Syria if they continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo and other places in Syria.
6. To undertake bolder diplomatic efforts like the recent condemnation of Russia and the announcement of a dialogue with key regional actors to prepare the ground for a political transition and post-conflict preparations.
7. To demand that Russia stop its military support of the Syrian authorities and extend the short term cease-fire.
8. To impose an arms embargo to all warring parties in the Syrian conflict. Syria is and will continue to be a broken, war-torn place for years to come, perhaps decades, if the international community doesn’t act more forcefully to stop the conflict. We call upon the international community to increase its support for a solution in Syria and bring the killing to an end.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-statement-occasion-action-day-peace-syria-24-october/6375
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Japan: On the Occasion of "Ten Days for Peace" 2016 - Building Peace Begins within Ourselves
The following statement was released last month by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan.
In response to the strong "Appeal for Peace" at Hiroshima by Saint Pope John Paul II on February 25, 1981, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan designated the days from August 6 to 15 as "Ten Days for Peace." These days were chosen because the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial Days and the Commemoration Day for the end of World War II all occur in this period. This year marks the 35th time we mark this period. It goes without saying that our prayers for peace, and the responsibility to learn and think about peace and to act for peace are never limited to this period. For example, we must not forget Okinawa Memorial Day on June 23.
We must pray for peace, learn and think about peace and act for whatever is needed for peace throughout the year. And yet, we are required to spend this particular period giving even more attention than usual to peace. World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force. Numerous people including children and women are killed or injured, forced to leave home, deprived of a normal life and even life itself.
Terrorist attacks occur in major cities in Europe, the United States or in Muslim nations. Many Japanese people have become victims. Terrorist attacks are waiting to happen at anytime and anywhere in the world. That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.
U.S. President Obama stressed in his speeches seven years ago in Prague and this past May in Hiroshima that we seek and pursue "a world without nuclear weapons." We should look to "mankind’s capacity to act together in solidarity and, on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to demonstrate concern for the more vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and for the protection of the common good" (cf. Pope Francis, Message for "World Day of Peace" 2016, 2).
Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world. Within our country, we cannot be indifferent to murders that occur on a daily basis, or to discrimination based on nationality, culture or gender, to domestic violence, hate speech, or sexual or power harassment. Appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly. And we must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence.
The Hebrew word "shalom," which for Christians is the original language of "peace," has various meanings: prosperity and success; wholeness; greetings; well-being; public and private peace; friendship; freedom and salvation. In other words, "peace" means that each one of us lives a fulfilling life, while valuing the dignity of one’s own and others’ lives and building friendly relationships with God and others. As Pope Francis points out, we must make efforts not to exclude a single person, but must love, forgive and accept each other because we all are embraced by the mercy of God. There is no peace where someone is excluded, dominated, disrespected or discriminated against. By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves. We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace. May the God of love and peace be with us (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11).
7 July 2016 Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Archbishop of Nagasaki, President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/japan-occasion-ten-days-peace-2016-building-peace-begins-within-ourselves/6230#sthash.1bEA97Ev.dpuf
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Brussels, 15 July 2016
Statement: Pax Christi International stands with the victims in Nice, calls for actions in support of justice and human security.
We awoke this morning to another shocking attack, this time in Nice, France, leaving at least 84 people dead, many of these children, and hundreds more injured and traumatised. The attack was perpetrated at festivities for Bastille Day—during which the French celebrate the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité—values which stand in stark contrast to the agenda of violence and extremism.
Yesterday’s events and the frequency of such attacks leave us stunned but resolute. We at Pax Christi International stand in solidarity with the people of Nice, with France, and with all people in every nation around the world who live in this reality where violence and the insecurity it breeds is the norm.
We condemn the horrific attack in Nice as we condemn the use of violence in every form, everywhere. The perpetrators of this violence must be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes under the rule of law. Let it be a testament to the victims of this attack and all who have suffered in attacks like this in every corner of the world that we will not tolerate violence nor the root causes which contribute to violence—oppression, inequality, exclusion, greed, discrimination and fear.
Let us embrace the hope that we can do better, that we can find solutions which do not resort to the false promise of violence.
Let us work to foster the conditions that lead to peace and nurture the systems that address conflict by working for human rights and justice for all.
Pax Christi International is concerned that the government of France, in collaboration with others in the international community, will respond to this attack by increasing military action in the Middle East. We believe that an appropriate response is one which upholds human rights and promotes justice—not further military action which plants the seeds of future attacks like the one in Nice.
Our movement asserts that violence only leads to more violence and that it can never achieve the peace and security in which every human being deserves to live. It is actions like the attack in France that strengthens our resolve to work for justice and peace in our world. Our 120 member organisations work for this on five continents, and today, in solidarity with the victims of this attack, the people of Nice and all those who yearn for a world free of violence, we pledge our commitment to cultivate the justice and peace which honour human dignity. Today we share our grief for all those who have died and we pray for all those affected by the brutality of this attack. As we firmly believe that violence will not ultimately prevail, our grief will not make us numb nor distract us from the work to be done.
Source: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/statement-pax-christi-international-stands-victims-nice-calls-actions-support-justice-and-human#sthash.H3tlmIdX.fqJxkejR.dpuf
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12th July 2016
Pax Christi International: Fifth anniversary sees South Sudan mired in violence
Pax Christi International denounces the fighting taking place in South Sudan between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last few days. Despite the 2015 peace agreement, hostilities continue, causing many people to be killed and thousands more to be displaced, forced to shelter in churches and other locations during the heavy rains.
Humanitarian assistance is needed throughout the country and people should be able to safely reach that help. They have immediate need for food, health care, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services. We pray for the people of South Sudan, who have been experiencing decades of violence and, consequently, humanitarian problems.
We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence contrary to the commitments made under the peace agreement. Also, we find that the recent attacks against the UN, its officials and on vulnerable people under their protection, to be outrageous. It is not the first time that UN sites have been under attack.
As long as parties do not settle their differences peacefully, grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and severe humanitarian crises will continue to take place. Under these conditions, no stable future can be built and the South Sudanese people will only know what it is to live in war, not peace.
We urge all parties to the conflict to immediately cease the hostilities. Also, as the UN Security Council has unanimously requested in its latest statement [1], the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors should be allowed access to civilians in need. Nevertheless, Pax Christi International wishes to underline that the main responsibility for protection of civilians remains with the South Sudanese transitional government.
Furthermore, we urge the leaders of the nations of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who brokered the 2015 ‘Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan’, to take an urgent and proactive role in resolving the current conflict in South Sudan and to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented.
Pax Christi International would also like to underline that an end is needed to the flood of deadly weapons around the world that facilitate violence and make the road to a just and lasting peace extremely difficult. In line with this, the South Sudan Council of Churches has reiterated the message of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International at the April 2016 conference on ‘Nonviolence and Just Peace’, that violence is never the solution and simply leads to more violence. [2]
With regard to the violence of recent days, we also support the latest statement of the South Sudan Council of Churches in which it states the following: “We pray for those who have been killed and for their families and we ask God's forgiveness for those who have done the killing. However we also urge repentance and a firm commitment from all armed individuals, forces and communities, and from their leaders, to create an atmosphere where violence is not an option.” [3]
This year, the state of South Sudan marks its fifth anniversary as a nation, but there is little reason to celebrate, as many citizens are suffering from hunger, in constant danger and traumatized. We therefore call on our global member organisations to pray and to stand in solidarity with all the victims of violence, with our member organisations in South Sudan, PAX [4] and Holy Trinity Peace Village, Kuron [5], and the Church and its leaders who have had an important role in grassroots and political peace-making. [6]
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/pax-christi-international-fifth-anniversary-sees-south-sudan-mired-violence/6182#sthash.JvAYClG4.AEwGmz9U.dpuf
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The following statement was affirmed by the participants of the Nonviolence and Just Peace gathering held in Rome, 11-13 April 2016. The gathering was co-convened by Pax Christi International, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, UISG/USG and many other international Catholic organisations.
As Christians committed to a more just and peaceful world we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence. With this conviction, and in recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, people from many countries gathered at the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International on April 11-13, 2016 in Rome.
Our assembly, people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops. Many of us live in communities experiencing violence and oppression. All of us are practitioners of justice and peace. We are grateful for the message to our conference from Pope Francis: “your thoughts on revitalizing the tools of nonviolence, and of active nonviolence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution”.
Looking at our world today
We live in a time of tremendous suffering, widespread trauma and fear linked to militarization, economic injustice, climate change, and a myriad of other specific forms of violence. In this context of normalized and systemic violence, those of us who stand in the Christian tradition are called to recognize the centrality of active nonviolence to the vision and message of Jesus; to the life and practice of the Catholic Church; and to our long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet.
We rejoice in the rich concrete experiences of people engaged in work for peace around the world, many of whose stories we heard during this conference. Participants shared their experiences of courageous negotiations with armed actors in Uganda and Colombia; working to protect the Article 9, the peace clause in the Japanese Constitution; accompaniment in Palestine; and countrywide peace education in the Philippines. They illuminate the creativity and power of nonviolent practices in many different situations of potential or actual violent conflict. Recent academic research, in fact, has confirmed that nonviolent resistance strategies are twice as effective as violent ones.
The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices. In all of this, Jesus is our inspiration and model.
Jesus and nonviolence
In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new, nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional love of God. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matthew 5: 44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons; to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil (Matthew 5: 39); to become peacemakers; to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3: 1-6); when he confronted the powerful at the Temple and purified it (John 2: 13-22); when he peacefully but determinedly challenged the men accusing a woman of adultery (John 8: 1-11); when on the night before he died he asked Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26: 52).
Neither passive nor weak, Jesus’ nonviolence was the power of love in action. In vision and deed, he is the revelation and embodiment of the Nonviolent God, a truth especially illuminated in the Cross and Resurrection. He calls us to develop the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking.
Clearly, the Word of God, the witness of Jesus, should never be used to justify violence, injustice or war. We confess that the people of God have betrayed this central message of the Gospel many times, participating in wars, persecution, oppression, exploitation, and discrimination.
We believe that there is no “just war”. Too often the “just war theory” has been used to endorse rather than prevent or limit war. Suggesting that a “just war” is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict.
We need a new framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence. A different path is clearly unfolding in recent Catholic social teaching. Pope John XXIII wrote that war is not a suitable way to restore rights; Pope Paul VI linked peace and development, and told the UN “no more war”; Pope John Paul II said that “war belongs to the tragic past, to history”; Pope Benedict XVI said that “loving the enemy is the nucleus of the Christian revolution”; and Pope Francis said “the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence. Faith and violence are incompatible”. He has also urged the “abolition of war”.
We propose that the Catholic Church develop and consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence. A Just Peace approach offers a vision and an ethic to build peace as well as to prevent, defuse, and to heal the damage of violent conflict. This ethic includes a commitment to human dignity and thriving relationships, with specific criteria, virtues, and practices to guide our actions. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking.
Living Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace
In that spirit we commit ourselves to furthering Catholic understanding and practice of active nonviolence on the road to just peace. As would-be disciples of Jesus, challenged and inspired by stories of hope and courage in these days, we call on the Church we love to:
  • continue developing Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. In particular, we call on Pope Francis to share with the world an encyclical on nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into the life, including the sacramental life, and work of the Church through dioceses, parishes, agencies, schools, universities, seminaries, religious orders, voluntary associations, and others;
  • promote nonviolent practices and strategies (e.g., nonviolent resistance, restorative justice, trauma healing, unarmed civilian protection, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding strategies);
  • initiate a global conversation on nonviolence within the Church, with people of other faiths, and with the larger world to respond to the monumental crises of our time with the vision and strategies of nonviolence and Just Peace;
  • no longer use or teach “just war theory”; continue advocating for the abolition of war and nuclear weapons;
  • lift up the prophetic voice of the church to challenge unjust world powers and to support and defend those nonviolent activists whose work for peace and justice put their lives at risk.
In every age, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with the wisdom to respond to the challenges of its time. In response to what is a global epidemic of violence, which Pope Francis has labeled a “world war in installments”, we are being called to invoke, pray over, teach and take decisive action. With our communities and organizations, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Holy See and the global Church to advance Gospel nonviolence.
SOURCE: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/appeal-catholic-church-recommit-centrality-gospel-nonviolence/5855#sthash.RkIk6WZX.UIsHQuzR.dpuf
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Statement from Pax Christi International & The World Council of Churches - issued 15 March 2016.
Negotiations should end the conflict and bring political transition in Syria
In March 2016 we mark the 5th anniversary of the popular uprising in Syria. The first cessation of hostilities after five years of war in Syria began on 27 February 2016. Although there have been dozens of violations of the ceasefire daily, many communities have for the first time in years witnessed a period of calm and respite from bombardments. This fragile ceasefire follows UN Security Council Resolution 2268.[1]
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, there is little hope for an early end to the fighting in Syria. This ongoing war presents one of the greatest political and moral challenges of our time. Now an international conflict, it has the potential for additional destabilisation at the regional and international level.
The World Council of Churches and Pax Christi International urgently appeal to all involved parties to demonstrate good will and to take part in negotiations in Geneva. A fundamental ingredient for peace, political will, has been lacking in Syria. We call upon those governments with influence in this conflict to address the root causes of so much death and destruction and that are driving so many people from their homes.
Hundreds of thousands of victims have been claimed by the violence in Syria, which has left many millions more without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and, at the same time, to engage in dialogue toward a political transition that enables the country to return swiftly to peace. The intra-Syrian talks which begin on 15 March in Geneva must create the conditions for such a political transition. The Syrian people must be at the centre of the resolution of the conflict. Other states (in particular the members of the International Syria Support Group) and non-state actors must support a Syrian-led process.
Large-scale humanitarian aid to the afflicted populations throughout Syria and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries also must be assured. Increased aid to besieged areas and a lull in the violence could show the Syrian people that a political process could lead to results, thus contributing to public support for the necessary revival of the Geneva peace talks.
In recent weeks we have seen a new wave of peaceful demonstrations in Syria.[2] The Syrian people are clear about what they want: a united, democratic Syria where all citizens enjoy equal rights. The demonstrations spoke out clearly against dividing the country. That political momentum should not be lost. All parties must support civil society in its critical role in the process of ceasefire and human rights monitoring, violence reduction, trust building, facilitating public debate and conflict transformation.
The massive call for freedom and democracy in Syria underlines the urgency of prioritizing political transition to an inclusive and democratic state. That should be a primary goal in Geneva. A "Syria First" strategy is needed, instead of an "ISIS First" strategy. Only when the democratic forces in Syria are supported and protected can ISIS be defeated.
A large scale reconstruction programme which includes the reform of state institutions should be started and supervised by the United Nations. In the long term, a transparent process of transitional justice and reconciliation in which all ethnic, political and religious groups are included should be initiated and include active participation from the different sectors of civil society.
Our hearts break for the suffering experienced by people from all religious traditions who have become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence. The diversity of the region must be preserved and the rights of all regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender must be secured. The religious and social values of the Syrian people, including freedom, dignity and tolerance, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are essential references in the protection of the rights of all citizens.
As Christian organisations we stand with our brothers and sisters in the region and will support them in their efforts to restore peace in their countries and make sure they and other religions and ethnic groups will all be active participants in the future of the region.
Geneva/Brussels, 15 March 2016
Pax Christi InternationalRue du Progrès, 323B-1030 BrusselsBelgium
World Council of ChurchesCP 21001211 Geneva 2Switzerland
[1] http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12261.doc.htm
[2] https://www.facebook.com/ActivistHive/videos/1671451539759645/
- See more at: http://www.paxchristi.net/news/negotiations-should-end-conflict-and-bring-political-transition-syria/5723#sthash.Eg5sT6js.0RxmYtmv.dpuf