1. Introduction. 2. About Pax Christi International 1. Creating cultures of peace and reconciliation: Shared challenges and hopes

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1 Creating cultures of peace and reconciliation: Shared challenges and hopes 2015 Season Opening of the Peace Museum of Lindau José Henríquez, Secretary General of Pax Christi International 1. Introduction I want to start expressing my appreciation for the invitation I received to be here with you today. It is a real pleasure. Special thanks to my colleague Christian and the team of the Peace Museum. Your welcome has been very generous. The title given to this presentation is Creating Cultures of Peace and Reconciliation: Shared Challenges and Hopes. The first part is the tagline used by Pax Christi International, which is celebrating its 70 th anniversary in For that reason I will dedicate some time at the beginning to go through a number of highlights of that history, which in the beginnings it was closely connected to France and Germany. For the second part, when I was preparing it I had an overwhelming choice of challenges to bring to the table, but at the end I decided not to focus on some of the most heartbreaking violent conflicts of these days. I mean Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Iraq, and others. They are certainly significant, and we should be talking about them although not in the way mainstream media is doing it. I will be using highlights of challenges and hopes from different parts of the world, many of them connected to Pax Christi member organizations. Some are present and some are past, but in my opinion, the lessons learnt have remained. 2. About Pax Christi International 1 Pax Christi history of Reconciliation Pax Christi was founded by Martha Dortel-Claudot in order to contribute to the ending of hostilities between France and Germany. This Catholic woman contacted the Msgr. Théas, Bishop of Montauban (who later became Bishop of Lourdes) who came back after the end of World War II from a camp of war prisoners in Compiegne where he had been incarcerated. He had been arrested by the Gestapo for helping Jews to escape persecution. During his captivity he prayed at the time of Christmas during the war, to ask for pardon for the German people. And this, in front of the French officers who were with him in captivity. Spirituality and Action Several actions were launched to educate the Catholic population to the idea of reconciliation with Germany. The Nuncio in Paris at that time, Mgr. Roncalli who later became Pope John XXIII, proposed to name the Cardinal Feltin (Paris) as International President of Pax Christi. From the French bishops, Cardinal Feltin was among those who were not dragged away by the Vichy regime. He established a "Catholic perspective" rather horizontal, which advocated in addition to spirituality and prayer, the study and the action for peace in Europe and in the world. The basis for cooperation was then well established. Over time, more and more young Germans engaged in the rapidly growing work of the movement in Western European countries. Pax Christi continued to evolve into a movement with a majority of lay people, in which bishops have kept their representation as presidents and active members. That fact 1 This part follows some personal notes from Etienne De Jonghe, former Secretary General of Pax Christi International. 1 P a g e

2 has given the movement a great freedom of action within the Catholic Church. The movement grew up organizing a network of national chapters composed of local groups and it received, somehow, the endorsement of the Second Vatican Council convened by Pope John XXIII in order to further open the church to the realities of the world. The encyclical "Pacem in Terris" which was addressed to all people of good will, supported Pax Christi s efforts to build bridges toward people outside the Roman Catholic Church. The vision of a united Europe After World War II, the movement took a clear position on the side of thinkers and visionary European politicians - many of them with Catholic affiliation - working resolutely to the advent of a Europe united by economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. When, later, the Cold War and the arms race were deployed facing the fear of communism, the movement increasingly focused its reflections on concrete issues of defense policy. At the same time the German Section launched its first initiatives calling the German people to look at his past on the persecution of the Jews and the Nazi policy towards their neighbors to the east. The German and Dutch sections focused at the beginning on dialogue and on establishing contacts with Catholic intellectuals, including those who actively engaged later in the Solidarity movement, like Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Halina Bortnowska. Contacts were also established with Hungary, Czechoslovakia (Charta '77) and the German Democratic Republic (mostly through ecumenism). Under the presidency of Cardinal Alfrink (from the Netherlands), the movement also initiated a dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church in A Congress met in I989 in Hilversum in the Netherlands under the motto "Living in Truth." The links created over many years lead to a meeting that took place under the presidency of Cardinal König (Vienna), who himself had a lot of business for years with Central and Eastern Europe. This congress coincided with the date of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In his inaugural address, Cardinal König emphasized Pax Christi's commitment to Central and Eastern Europe, in dialogue with civil society groups and, when necessary, also with official entities. During this period (I ), the International Secretary and a member of the Executive Committee, under delegation of Cardinal König, acted as liaison between the Vatican and the people of the entourage of Gorbachev, which facilitated the participation of a Vatican delegation in the celebration of the Millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church. After that, a visit of Cardinal Casaroli to Gorbachev opened the path for a visit of Gorbachev to the Pope. New developments in Europe After the fall of the Iron Curtain, many of those who were contact persons for Pax Christi entered politics. A new generation, often young, continued the work of Pax Christi, in Poland (links with Lithuania, the Jewish community, and Russia), in Slovakia, in Hungary (minority rights and History courses), in the Czech Republic (expulsion of German groups after the Second World War). Pax Christi set up a network with those groups, supporting them and working with them on new issues such as those concerning NATO and EU enlargement. And during the war in the Balkans and later, many national sections have been actively engaged in those countries and supported local initiatives for peace. The North-South relations In the mid-fifties, Pax Christi was heavily centered on Europe, but it started addressing the North-South relations. A major issue was the independence of European colonies in the early sixties. Pax Christi participated in the founding of some CIDSE s member organizations (International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity), an alliance of Catholic organizations for cooperation with the South. These new members include among other Broederlijk Delen in Belgium and Misereor in Germany. Progressively, the movement has 2 P a g e

3 definitely taken an international dimension. Currently, half of the members of the International Board come from the South. 3. Global challenges to engagement for peace today considering the different situations of violence all over the world 3.1. Complexity and interconnectedness Sometimes we may have the feeling that our world goes through unending global crises. The violent conflicts already mentioned, the economic situation which keeps being complicated for millions of people, natural disasters And we may be tempted to think that they are all independent parts. However, the challenges we face are no longer distinct but are intertwined, interconnected at a root deep level; so, for example, the economic injustices many of us try to address persistent poverty, the huge and growing gap between the very rich and the many impoverished, unjust trade agreements, illegitimate and overwhelming debt and so on are connected as cause and consequence to war and violent conflict and both are connected (again, as cause and consequence) to environmental destruction and climate change. No matter what is your point of entre, you will arrive at this knot of brokenness and dysfunction that has many expressions but similar roots. Furthermore, the complex of issues we are dealing with include existential threats (nuclear weapons, catastrophic levels of carbon emissions) to the existence of the human community and the survival of Earth herself (although there are many indications that Earth would survive once the human assault on her integrity has been brought to a halt). And in this seemingly chaotic world, we also attend to an incredible technological development (especially in the information and communications domain) connected to a series of amazing scientific discoveries at a super macro and super micro level that are completely changing our understanding of the human s place in the universe as well as the tremendous challenges, great danger, and real hopes that this new consciousness occasions. We also have the capacity to put order into the chaos Religion and violence Since 2007, the urban world started outgrowing the rural world. We live in a world of encounters, differences, pluralism, of fluid limits (even if states try to oppose it). It was thought that with a growing modernization, religions were going to disappear. Some people dreamt about a world similar to a big secular post-revolutionary France. But it has not happened. Indeed, it seems that secularization has stimulated a revival of religion. That, of course, has included an increase of fanaticism and consequently, of interreligious conflict. But in a world of plural views, some also consider religion as an important factor for world development. All those radical changes we are experiencing are not yet fully explored and we are still struggling to answer some questions: How should we live together? How should we build peace? How should we manage to save our humankind and our planet? 4. Creating cultures of peace and reconciliation 4.1. Peace education and its multiple arenas A friend told me this story: Some years ago one of my sons who was about to end high school - after a challenging conversation around the dinner table with a group of my friends activists said, I don t know whether to curse you or bless you, Mom. All my friends are dreaming about graduating from high school, going to college, getting a high paying job and a big house and living happily ever after. You made me look at the reality of injustice in the world and now I can t ignore that and go on with a normal life. I guess that the mom did a good job! 3 P a g e

4 Peace education is still a pending subject in many societies, mainly because we may still have a fragmented vision of education, like when we think that educational processes happen in specific places at specific times. We know how complex is the world of education, but we should aim to a continuous improvement because the present and the future of our societies are inextricably connected to our educational systems. Of course, I am talking about formal and non formal education, and informal education Some experiences Peace museums Please let me start with this. But it is only a note because the museum s team here is the group of experts. When we see the enormity of the space and attention given to war related issues in many cities, we can even suspect of a subtle deification of war. I think that spaces like yours in Lindau are real jewels and should be promoted without hesitation. Peace schools If we think about the time we all spent at school we should all agree on the need of continual improvement. Peace education has become a subject in a number of schools; however, we need more than that, we need peace schools, using what some call the Whole School Approach. This means to engage all the learning areas, all the administrative systems, all the members of the school community (students, faculty and staff) and the wider community. Consistency around values and messages are key. The Center of Peace Education in Manila connected in many ways to Pax Christi Philippines, is trying to do that. Others Just to mention a few more. Pax Christi Flanders educates young adults on conflict transformation using theatre. Pax Christi Germany has been educating the general public on military spending of the government. A member organization in Lebanon has created a University of Nonviolence, yes with a curriculum and a degree! 4.2. Reconciliation and transformative justice Pax Christi believes that there is no real peace without reconciliation, which is both a vital element in Pax Christi s spirituality and a significant tool in Pax Christi s peacebuilding toolbox. Reconciliation was the founding motivation for Pax Christi as a movement and our commitment remains strong to support practical steps toward the healing of relationships broken by war and injustice. Each society must discover its own route to reconciliation. Reconciliation cannot be imposed from outside, nor can someone else s map get us to our destination: it must be our own solution. This involves a very long and painful journey, addressing the pain and suffering of the victims, understanding the motivations of offenders, bringing together estranged communities, trying to find a path to justice, truth and, ultimately, peace. Faced with each new instance of violent conflict, new solutions must be devised that are appropriate to the particular context, history and culture in question. And yet, despite the differences between Cape Town (South Africa) and Kigali (Rwanda), between Belgrade (Serbia) and Belfast (Northern Ireland), there are also similarities in each situation. At the end reconciliation is a reality of the human community. In this process we underline the need of a transformative justice which requires the recovery of truth, reflection on retributive justice versus restorative justice, healing as the first step in the journey towards reconciliation, distributive justice which will focus on the needs of the victims 4 P a g e

5 through restitution and reparation, and economic development which transforms their living standards so that they can live with at least minimal decency Some experiences Croatia During the war in the Balkans, the Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights in Osijek (member organization in Croatia) prepared the ground for the peaceful return of displaced persons and refugees, building confidence across ethnic divides and initiating interethnic cooperation toward the recovery of war torn multi-ethnic communities. Almost 20 years later, the wounds are not healed, but many citizens (including the Center) and the local government promote inter-ethnic trust to accompany the process toward reconciliation. Rwanda In Rwanda, the Association Modeste et Innocent (AMI) has a program in which small groups of Hutus and Tutsis are counseled over many months, culminating in the perpetrator s formal request for forgiveness. If forgiveness is granted by the survivor, the perpetrator and his family and friends typically bring a basket of offerings - usually food and sorghum or banana beer. The accord is sealed with song and dance. In the words of two survivors: Sometimes justice does not give someone a satisfactory answer cases are subject to corruption. But when it comes to forgiveness willingly granted, one is satisfied once and for all. When someone is full of anger, he can lose his mind. But when I granted forgiveness, I felt my mind at rest (Christophe Karorero). Growing from this commitment to reconciliation, Pax Christi s spirituality also reflects a deep valuing of diversity. Although ours is a Catholic peace movement, people from many different faith and cultural traditions share and enhance our journey toward peace. In New Zealand, for example, Pax Christi members have learned from the Maori culture that the key to peace is awareness, sensitivity to who we are and where we are that involves a continuing dialogue with self, neighbor, communities, nations, the earth and its creatures. Maori believe that to reconcile is to re-establish right relationships, to reveal the reality of the violation and damage to victims and perpetrators and to ensure truth and integrity in repairing the damage, introducing compassion, sacrifice and generosity into the healing. Supporting ex-combatants to go back to a life in community Pax Christi member organizations from Belgium, the DR Congo and Burundi have been implementing in the last few years a project for the reintegration of ex-combatants. In those countries, demobilized ex-combatants have followed a community-based process that has trained them on active nonviolence and social integration, and have now started to set up small income-generating projects that will help bring forward their reintegration into the community. The project has also helped strengthen the capacities of local member organizations as they work for peace in a region immersed in serious conflicts Nonviolence as a viable option Pax Christi believes that nonviolence is a viable option to the world of violent conflict we live in. However, we are also convinced that there is very little political will to explore its potential. Theodore Roszak wrote that "People try nonviolence for a week, and when it 'doesn't work' they go back to violence, which hasn't worked for centuries." There is considerable debate about the precise meaning of nonviolence. For some, nonviolent action is an expedient technique for dealing with conflict or bringing about social change; for others, nonviolence is a moral imperative or even a way of life. M.L. King declared that 'The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also 5 P a g e

6 refuses to hate him. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love'; and he warned that the 'tactics of nonviolence without the spirit of nonviolence may become a new kind of violence' Some experiences Mothers and relatives of the disappeared I remember a conversation with Alicia García in El Salvador. In her lifetime, she lost a brother and a son, and her daughter was kidnapped and tortured. But Alicia and a group of friends with the support of Bishop Oscar Romero, formed the Committee of Mothers of the Disappeared Oscar Romero (COMADRES).COMADRES, would become one of a kind: A group of brave women who were able to stand up and speak out for justice claiming the truth over the disappearance of sons, daughters, and relatives who had been violently taken away from their families. A story repeated over and over throughout Latin America. Alicia and her colleagues, courageous women, faced military brutality many times but they resisted nonviolently.they overcame fear because their hearts had overflowing love and hope; because justice and peace were burning in their souls. With incredible determination, they overcame violence with active nonviolence. They saw little windows of opportunities, where many others saw only despair; they saw light coming from little cracks and they decided to follow it. And they have been heard. Latin American communities facing extractive projects More recently, in Latin America, Pax Christi International has been accompanying local communities living in areas of large natural resources extraction projects in order to strengthen their capacities to transform conflicts through active non-violence. Several processes have been activated with communities in Peru, Colombia, and Guatemala. Those projects are seriously damaging the communities and the environments in which they live in, but those communities mostly rural, have decided to face the conflict through active nonviolence (which includes the use of juridical mechanisms when needed). Unarmed Civilian Protection Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) refers to the use of unarmed civilians men and women, to do peacekeeping (preventing, reducing and stopping violence). It is a common assumption that only armed military or police can do the work of peacekeeping, however unarmed civilians have been successfully keeping the peace in situations of violent conflict all over the world, and their numbers are increasing. Nonviolent Peaceforce and Peace Brigades International, are among the organizations preparing and deploying UCP. In December 2014, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) approved a Resolution on Follow-up to the Declaration of Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace, put forth by Bangladesh and co-sponsored by over 100 countries. Language noting UCP was contained in the resolution, marking the first time that UCP has been officially referenced in a UNGA Resolution. 5. A final story Let me conclude with another story. I heard it from Marie Dennis, our International Co- President. A few years ago I visited a small village in the Shamali Valley outside of Kabul - a few tents and a house or two populated by families trying to reclaim life after years living as refugees in Pakistan. The narrow pathway to one of the small houses was lined with stones painted half red and half white. The white half of the stones marking the pathway faced in, indicated that the path itself was cleared of landmines. The red half of the stones pointed out to the rest of the yard around the house, indicated that there could well be landmines buried there. How a family with children and animals can survive in such a situation is beyond 6 P a g e

7 me. They, like all their neighbors, were trying to eke out an existence in a geography riddled with landmines and unexploded ordinance, including bomblets from cluster bombs. Hope in the village was clearly present. What else could have driven those few courageous families to return? But it was hard to pin down. The vineyards were bursting with life, laden with grapes; they also were riddled with landmines. De-miners were carefully inching their way down the rows of grapevines, slowly pushing back the fear, the terrible threat of violence to make room for life. Work toward the New Creation, work for peace is like that slowly pushing back the fear, the terrible threat of violence, the reality of social injustice to make room for life. 7 P a g e

Nanjing Statement on Interfaith Dialogue

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