The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative’s new institute held weekly seminars in Rome throughout the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality.
The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes.
Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI) launched a new project on September 29 in Rome: the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence. The institute’s mission is to make nonviolence research, resources and experience, more accessible to Catholic Church leaders, communities and institutions in order to deepen Catholic understanding of and commitment to the practice of Gospel nonviolence. It will work mainly as a virtual institute but with a small presence in Rome.
The launch event included a panel of Catholic experts on nonviolence, followed by the presentation of the 2023 Pax Christi Peace Award to the Parents Forum – Family Circle, an Israeli-Palestinian organization of more than 700 families who have lost immediate family members in the ongoing conflict. Their faithful work and vision for peace for the region offer a practical expression of nonviolence in action.
The launch was soon followed by a series of four seminars, titled The Power of Active Nonviolence: Transforming the Church, Changing the World, offered for participants in the Synod on Synodality in Rome. The report from the first assembly of the Synod in 2023 named several themes for further exploration by the church, including calling for “more reflection and formation in order that we can manage conflicts in a nonviolent way” and “careful consideration of nonviolence and legitimate self-defence.” Pax Christi has fostered deep exploration of these questions in the intervening year, and the seminars offered a variety of important insights and perspectives.
The inaugural seminar on October 4, Nonviolence: Faithful & Effective, centered on integrating nonviolent principles within the framework of faith and their practical implications. Theologians, scholars, and practitioners examined the centrality of nonviolence to the Catholic faith, its potential as a powerful strategy for ending violence and fostering peace, and the significant role the Church can play in promoting nonviolence globally. The discussions underscored the urgent need for a cultural shift toward active nonviolence and emphasized the Church’s capacity to contribute to this movement worldwide.
On October 11, the second seminar, Managing Conflict Nonviolently, focused on the practical application of nonviolent strategies to address conflicts within communities and beyond. The seminar highlighted real-life stories of grassroots peacemaking and emphasized how nonviolence can be a powerful tool for fostering respect, honesty, and justice in relationships. Panelists covered different nonviolent strategies to address violence, citing experiences in Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Kenya.
The third seminar, on October 18, titled “Nonviolent Defence: Beyond War and Cycles of Violence,” highlighted the centrality of nonviolence to the Gospel and its effectiveness in legitimate defense. The event brought together global experts to discuss how investment in nonviolent research and training can offer effective alternatives to traditional forms of conflict resolution.
The final seminar on October 25, “The Role of the Church in Nurturing a Global Nonviolent Shift,” discussed the Church’s duty to foster a cultural shift by integrating nonviolent practices into education, training, and evangelization.
Experts including academics and peacebuilding practitioners from around the world presented at the seminars. Attendees included Vatican officials from various dicasteries, diplomats, cardinals and other prelates, religious community members, representatives of Catholic organizations, and several members of the institute’s Advisory Council.
Marie Dennis, CNI’s Senior Director, was in Rome throughout the events. “The experience in Rome this Fall has been interesting and intense,” she said. “In addition to the launch of the institute, which has been very well received, and the weekly seminars, our panelists have brought their expertise to a series of meetings with different Vatican officials. We have visited the Secretariat of State, the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, the Pontifical Academy of Science and Social Science, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, the Dicastery for Evangelization, the Secretariat for Latin America and more. Slowly but surely the Catholic Church is turning toward nonviolence. It is more urgent now than ever!”
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns has participated in the leadership of the CNI since its start in 2016. Director Susan Gunn attended the October 11 seminar in Rome. “Pax Christi International provided a great service to our Church,” she said, “by giving Synod participants everything they need to find answers to questions about nonviolence that were included in the synod synthesis document last year. At the seminar I attended, leading practitioners of nonviolence and theologians shared their lived experiences and understanding of the power of nonviolence to bring light to what can feel like an ever-darkening world.”
Faith in action
Watch the inaugural seminars of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence online, and share them with your faith community. https://mogc.info/CNI-Synod
Photo of Sr. Sheila Kinsey, FCJM, Executive Co-Secretary of JPIC Commission of UISG-USG, pointing to the Maryknoll Sisters among sponsors of the seminars in Rome.