January / February 2003 No 234 Online Contents:

• Pacem in Terris and a War with Iraq
• Inspiration
• Pax Christi International
• Peacemaking Resources
• Celebrating Peacemaking
• Reflection on Pacem in Terris
• Reports from the office

• Back to Current Issue

But already, in the era of Reagan and Thatcher, an alternative world of market-states was emerging. The defining characteristic of the market state is that government exists to maximise the choices and opportunities available to the citizens. This means that belief in the benefits of choice among competing goods is the only belief it can endorse. The citizen 'buys' his personal beliefs from a market of competing beliefs that are up for sale. The USA is already a market-state. Britain is turning into one. Even China is showing signs of interest in becoming one.

So much for the theory. Pacem in Terris seems clearly to address itself to the dying era of nation-states. Of course, its fundamental teaching is that the individual human being has inalienable rights which governments must not deny, and that states must ensure that conflicts are conducted peacefully. But, as John XXIII recognised, nation-states and their governments often adopt strategies and objectives which ride roughshod over these inalienable rights. Now, the adoption of national strategies and objectives by governments which insist that they know what is best for their own people, is a characteristic of the nation-state. The government of a market state refuses to make any such claim: it lets people adopt their own objectives from those available in the market.

Two current examples illustrate the difference. The Israeli high court has just decided that no Israeli soldier can conscientiously refuse to take part in military operations on the West Bank, because this would 'weaken the ties that bind us as a nation'. (Guardian, 31.12.02, p. 13) In saying this, the judges are adopting the characteristic stance of a nation-state, in which the interest of the state as defined by government overrides individual choice. Israel is a particularly blatant example of a nation-state. On the other hand, in dealing with the current English problem of whether to play cricket in Zimbabwe Tony Blair is behaving as the governor of a market state. His assumption seems to be that while he, as an individual, thinks that going to play in Zimbabwe is a bad thing, it is quite ok for another set of individuals, namely the players themselves, to do the opposite. This is their privilege in a democracy. There is no question of the government adopting a policy based on what it believes to be the right course of action. Its job is simply laying out for inspection a range of choices within a moral market-place.

All of this comes to a head with the impending war with Iraq. For one of the most remarkable features of the run-up to this war is that all of the Christian leaders in Britain, despite their many past differences over (say) nuclear weapons, are agreed that there is no adequate casus belli for a war in Iraq, certainly if it is not explicitly authorised by a special resolution of the UN. Yet the Blair government ploughs on doggedly, behind Bush. Christian scruples about the ethics of war are, it seems, no more than matters of private preference within the market. Of course, Christian citizens are entitled to debate the pros and cons of the war, but their debate does not touch the business of government. The teaching of Pacem in Terris, that 'it no longer makes sense to maintain that war is a fit instrument with which to repair the violation of justice' is sidelined, even ignored. In short, as a would-be market-state, Blair's Britain is relegating Christian teaching to the private realm, and wants to keep it there.

Brian Wicker

Over the years Pax Christi has become steadily more global: a presence in over thirty countries now, on five continents. There are full sections in 18 countries, and "associated groups" (with a local rather than national focus) in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti.

The international movement also has a network of "affiliated organisations" in a further 11 countries. Some are longstanding partners - like the Brazilian Pastoral Land Commission, or the Church's Human Rights Office in El Salvador. The talk is now of Pax Christi "member organisations" rather than simply of "national sections".

Many of us have recently responded to the appeal of one affiliate, the Arab Educational Institute, based in Bethlehem, for our Christmas prayers and messages of support. Reliable information from the Middle East is vital. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, has a key role. He is also Pax Christi's International President (the first non-European to hold this position).

In the 1990s started regional consultations. The first Africa Consultation was held in 2000, and the second Asia-Pacific consultation took place in Thailand in 2001. The next international council meeting of the whole movement will be in the United States.

Two major challenges are ever present. One is keeping the Pax Christi show on the road at all, because funding is always a problem. Another is to co-ordinate the joint peace activities of such diverse member organisations. The strongest sections (USA, Netherlands, Germany and Flanders) are actually better funded and staffed than the international office itself. Our British section would come in the middle range. We are comparatively small (about 2000 members) but strong, enthusiastic, and very active, with two brilliant full-time staff.

Apart from size there is also diversity of approach. Some member organisations focus primarily on the corridors of power; others try to reach public opinion generally, through peace education, press work, campaigning activities, parishes resources. The issues we pick up on vary in each country, though we share a "preferential option for nonviolence" and converge on preventing war in Iraq, creating a culture of peace, and so on.

Recent international newsletters reflect this broad range of concerns. If you are feeling lonely and isolated in your peace work a glance at the Pax Christi International website will restore your sense of proportion and hope. Here are some ways to find out more.

• International website: www.paxchristi.net
• Pax Christi video - £5 to borrow from Pax Christi office in London
• Five new brochures - on Pax Christi International, culture of peace, faith and action, disarmament, and human rights. £1.50 for the set from Pax Christi in London.
• International newsletter - subscribe on-line to free monthly email version - or to bi-monthly printed version at €15 (£10) from Pax Christi International, Vieux Marché aux Grains 21, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Pacem in Terris - John XXIII

This Encyclical Letter, originally issued in 1963, speaks of the right and responsibilities of the individual, the dignity of each human person, the duties of governments and the relationships between states, highlighting the need for disarmament and the common good. At its heart it contains a stark rejection of warfare as a way of solving disputes, as unworthy of human beings. It has been re-issued by the CTS and is available from the Pax Christi office for £2.70 inc postage

Recommended Websites

We invited our webmaster, Giovanni Scudiero to tell us of some useful sites that relate to this issue.

• http://www.casi.org.uk/ - comprehensive and informative Iraq related website maintained by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq (CASI) that aims to raise awareness of the effects of sanctions, and campaigns on humanitarian grounds for the lifting of non-military sanctions. It is also an excellent portal to other sources of information listed by sources and by theme. Further links to Campaign Groups and Charities are also provided. A must to keep abreast with updated information and documentation on Iraq.
• http://www.j-n-v.org/ -(Active Resistance to the Roots of War - ARROW) is a nonviolent direct action affinity group set up in September 1990 to oppose the Gulf War. This website reflects very clearly the action-oriented focus of this little but effective organisation. It provides plenty details about non-violent direct actions and displays remarkable creativity and ingenuity. Noteworthy is the initiative for Pledge of Resistance against the war on Iraq. Read about it and turn your prayer into action.
• http://www.shc.edu/theolibrary/ -Extremely useful website based theology library with over 8000 links and very substantial Justice section with access to official church documents, articles, critical commentaries and bibliographies on Catholic Social teaching.
• http://www.paxchristi.org.uk/links.HTML - our own Pax Christi UK links page. Check it out and help us improve it by suggesting further links and ways to organise them. We have a new page, Children and Peacemaking, where we hope to collect poems, reflections, illustrations from children themselves. Perhaps you know children who might contribute to this?
  

A new Centre for Reconciliation and Peace has opened in the City of London. St Ethelburga's in Bishopsgate is a venue for study by groups engaged in peace processes as well as being a place for dialogue between groups in conflict. The Centre hopes to become a key meeting point for people working in the City of London, agencies and faith groups interested in the area of conflict transformation.

Dating from 1370, St. Ethelburga's lies in the heart of the capital's financial district. It survived the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, but nearly succumbed to the IRA in 1993. The building has now been renovated with materials from the original structure. An appeal to the 'City' led by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, raised £3.3m to fund the restoration and set up the centre. "Religious leaders must find ways of turning their rhetoric into strategies that combat terror," says Bishop Chartres, adding that, "since 9/11, more and more people see the point and importance of the work in which we are engaged".

The first seminar took place on 14 November. "From Conflict to Conciliation - Does Religion have a Role?" was the title of a keynote address given by Oliver McTernan, currently Fellow of the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University, and a Pax Christi member. It explored the different faith values which support or frustrate the movement from conflict to peace. Canon Andrew White of Coventry discussed Northern Nigeria, while Revd. Trevor Williams of Corrymeela discussed the Northern Ireland peace process. Subsequently St. Ethelburga's has hosted a weekly lecture series on "Citizenship and Faith". Further lecture series are planned on "Faith and Conflict" and "Business and Conflict".

There is a staff of four. Roland Smith, lately British ambassador to Ukraine and a committed Christian, is the first director. He worked in Brezhnev's Moscow, preparing arms control negotiations and helping NATO to adapt to a new role after the fall of communism. "This is a different field, but the experience of working on such issues as a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty or a land mines treaty, is relevant", he says. He has drawn inspiration from the key role churches played in ending apartheid, and in helping to ensure a peaceful transition as the Berlin Wall fell. He points out that faith communities are involved currently in peace initiatives in Sri Lanka, Angola and Mozambique. St. Ethelburga's Programme Development Manager is Steve Alston, a former Asia projects officer for CAFOD with fifteen years' experience of conflict resolution, particularly in Sri Lanka and East Timor.

The Centre has links with London Guildhall University, and will also co-operate with similar inter-faith centres at Coventry Cathedral and in Bradford. The Links section of its website mentions a wide range of groups concerned with conflict prevention and resolution.

Contact details:
Centre for Reconciliation and Peace
St Ethelburga's Centre, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG
Tel 020 7496 1610

Ellen Teague

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Perhaps we need first to recall that in 1963, with the Berlin Wall recently erected and the Cuban missile crisis barely survived, the threat of nuclear war was powerful and pervasive. Although John XXIII used the language of natural law, in addressing 'all people of good will', Pacem in Terris made a significant impression well beyond the confines of the Church. This palpably good man insisted on being an optimist about the world in spite of everything.

The document is an argument for peace based on the order that results from recognition of inalienable human rights. (There is no mention of the Just War tradition even though this has been the most widely quoted Christian approach to war, maybe because its criteria seem hardly ever to have been properly applied). Pope John sees society as 'primarily a spiritual reality in which truth is shared, rights and duties expressed, and a means of passing on all that is best in the world'. Here is a discernment of the Spirit at work in the world that was to be of key importance at the Vatican Council already in progress.

Like The UN Declaration on Human Rights (which John XXIII had helped to draft while a diplomat), Pacem in Terris presents a charter of rights. But it goes much further: it also insists from the outset on duties. People of good will must recognise the duty to respect in others the rights they hold dear for themselves. From personal dealings to international relations, those in power have a duty 'to the weaker members of society, since these are at a disadvantage when it comes to defending their own rights'. Here is a clear expression of the option for the poor that was to occupy such a central place in later social teaching.

This is a deeply Christian text that recognises that peace is a gift of God that has to be prayed for, and has to come from within, from a change in people's hearts. It depends on an order that is 'founded on truth, built upon justice, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom'. We know from hard experience that this is 'a peace the world cannot give', (John 14:27) for it is the peace that Christ came to bring and repeatedly sought to share.

So, forty years on, Pacem in Terris remains a very timely plea for peace. Despite the traumas of Vietnam, Cambodia, Central America, Rwanda, Iraq, political leaders, in their calls to arms, seem to have learnt little. If we are to sustain John XXIII's hopes for the world, we in our turn must take our duty to be peace-makers more seriously.

Brian Davies

Kilimanjaro Climb
During summer 2002, Fr Austin Hughes undertook a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro on behalf of Pax Christi. Fr Austin, who is based in Orton Friary, Solihull, was supported by his community and members of the parish. His adventure was reported on the 'Just a Moment' slot of Carlton TV. Fr Austin said " Anything that helps prevent the whole world from sleepwalking into World War Three is worth a shot". We are most grateful to Fr Austin for his initiative, energy and the money raised for Pax Christi. Perhaps this will inspire members to think of undertaking sponsored events for our work.

Pax Christi Peace Medal
Our Executive Committee had agreed that Pax Christi will award a number of Peace Medals every other year to people who have shown commitment over a number of years in the cause for justice and peace. Recipients may be individuals or a persons acting as representatives of a group or organisation. An Award Group has been set up of Pax Christi members who will receive and review nominations. Nominations are invited from Pax Christi members, and should be accompanied by 2 references and forwarded to the Pax Christi office by 31st March 2003. The Awards will be given at the Annual General Meeting in June. The first Awards were made in 2001 and went to Fr Martin Newall, Doreen Evered, Mary Thompson and Bruce Kent.

Peace Sunday
How did you celebrate peace Sunday? Please let us know by sending copies of newsletters, prayer services etc. We will then be able to share your ideas with others. If you missed the event, it is not too late to plan something - please include a collection for Pax Christi.

September/October 2002: No 232
March/April 2002: No 229
January/February 2002: No 228
November/December 2001: No 227
September/October 2001: No 226
July/August 2001: No 225
Mar/Apr 2001: No 224
Jan/Feb 2001: No 223
Nov/Dec 2000 No 222
July/August 2000: No 220