The carnage of children perpetrated by a group of terrorists in a school in Pakistan raises an unspeakable horror and imposes an urgent taking on responsibility by all civil consciences of the world. Even in the midst of the most diehard contrasts, even in the bloodiest conflicts, children's lives should be sacred to all the parties in conflict; the school should be spared by ongoing fights, as a place of dialogue, peace and common growth. It is not by chance that the Community of Sant'Egidio has called "School of Peace" the places where -even in the so severely tormented County of  Pakistan- we try to train new generations to dialogue, friendship and sharing. Here, instead, the sacredness of school has been violated and humanity itself has been injured within the weakest and most defenseless persons. It’s an attack both against their and against our future. The motivation of the terrorist act – a revenge after Pakistani security operations carried on against the Talibans - is the most anti-human conceivable plan, because it evokes a further escalation of violence, in a spiral which has no end in sight. We are facing a crime against humanity.

“In face of such horror indignation is no longer enough. A responsible political intervention of those – both governments and international organizations - involved in conflicts is urgent so that, overcoming impotence hitherto manifested, the necessary initiatives to stop the massacres will be soon put into practice. Civil society and great religions must demand that weapons are surrendered and that let dialogue resume”.