His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to the participants in Pax Christi USA’s annual National Assembly saying, “efforts to promote nonviolence are all the more necessary in a world facing the challenges including war, division, and forced migration."

In his message, Pope Leo invited participants to recall that “after the violence of the Crucifixion, the Risen Christ’s first words to the Apostles offered peace,” a peace that is “unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering”. He added that Lord Jesus “continues to send His followers into the world to become creators of peace in their daily lives”. Therefore “it is all the more important for a Church capable of reconciliation to be present and visible” in parishes, neighborhoods, and especially on the peripheries of society.

The message addressed by Pope Leo XIV is timely, as it sheds light on the ailing world affairs which include widespread armed conflicts in various parts of the world  that consequently paralyze almost all activities relevant to the attainment of a better life, which also forestall prospects for progress and prosperity.

For almost over the past 50 years, Pax Christi incorporated a wide range of conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts with a noble goal of creating environments conducive for the advancement of peace.  It was founded in France to promote reconciliation between the French and the Germans following World War II, and turned a few years later as the official peace movement.

Pax Christi member organizations are partners present in all parts of the world that engage in fostering a culture of active nonviolence and set a global stage on which sustainable peace is possible.

With reference to the conflagration prevailing in the Middle East, Pax Christian--along with other associations-- has drafted a letter calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, an end to violence in the West Bank, addressing the root causes of violence, respecting the status quo on Jerusalem’s holy sites, and reopening dialogue for reaching a lasting peace.

Among the other numerous roles played by Pax Christi is in Syria, where since the beginning of the 2011 violence it paid close attention to possibilities for action in support of the attainment of human rights and self-determination. In the case of Sudan, Pax Christi attempted to address the local, regional, and international root causes of violence and sincere efforts to find a solution.

Pax Christi also played a key role in the Democratic Republic of Congo--among other countries suffering from local conflagrations--as in early 2010 it exerted efforts to facilitate the reintegration of former combatants in Burundi and the DRC of Congo. In the case of Uganda, Pax Christi tried to stop the horrific violence inflicted on communities in northern Uganda and other regional countries.

A tribute is paid to Pax Christi that has all the time been focusing through its amaranthine efforts to promote peace, reconciliation, and nonviolence rooted in Catholic social teachings. It believes in the power of hope and action as well as in advocating for justice and compassion.  The role it has been playing over the years complies with the teaching of Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, Who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)