A paragraph is dedicated to "peacemakers” among other recipients of the Beatitudes within the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exultate. The Pope wrote that this beatitude "makes us think of the many endless situations of war in our world." (87). He concluded, "We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill. Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness." Although it does not seem like that, this season of "world war in pieces", in which the logics and means of death continue to triumph from Syria to the heart of Africa, leads to a time when such holiness is much practiced.
For this reason, our days must be faced with more tenacity and conviction. It is true that the years of global disorder, of the "world without a center," are not easy. We are living through one of those days of history in which Pavel Florensky, who is a Russian Orthodox priest and thinker that was swallowed by the Gulag, wrote: "We were born in a rapid swift of history, which would lead to a turning point in the course of historical events."
However, this important martyr added: "Posterity will envy the fact of not witnessing the transfiguration of the world’s picture." A difficult hairpin bend has befallen us. Why? By paraphrasing Hillel’s idea (who is a great Jewish sage of the early Christian era), the reason is to act, to affect, to strive to be men in a world where there are only a few "human" men. We cannot give up on being makers of transfiguration for the better of the world. We cannot surrender to the fact that war and violence are now "rehabilitated." Instead, we are called to bring out the best in ourselves and others by building in this way something worthy and humane not only for the people but also for the entire lands of the planet. The same recurrence of days helps us understand and cherish the hope that something can be done. It has been 55 years since the promulgation (on April 11, 1963) of the Encyclical Pacem in Terris. In that text, John XXIII first addressed "all men of good will." Moreover, he explained that he wanted to do so in order to dwell "on peace among all individuals, which is based on truth, justice, love, and freedom." I like to emphasize the idea of totality that the "good Pope" wanted to be evident right from the title of the document, right from the declension of the address. There is an "all" to look at; no one is excluded.
There is a feeling of planetary fraternity that is growing. Hence, we begin to feel as intolerable the prolongation of so many conflicts, especially the one which torments Syria because of what has happened there in the past years, in the last few days -I am thinking of the terrible consequences of chemical weapons-, and in the last few hours. It needs to be reiterated that the use of weapons does not lead to peace. "The persuasion is spreading more and more among human beings about how disputes between individuals should not be resolved by using arms; but instead through negotiation" (Pacem in Terris, 67); this was written by Pope Roncalli. Perhaps we have forgotten this during the last decades. Nevertheless, the awareness of the arms race during the 1960s is capable of thinning the fog in which we are so often immersed. By quoting one of his predecessors, that wise pontiff continued, "Violence has never done anything but tear down, not raise; kindle passions, not calm them; accumulate hatred and ruin, not fraternize the contenders; and, after painful trials, it has plunged men and parties into the hard necessity of slowly rebuilding over the ruins of discord " (86). Andrea Lavazza wrote on these pages: “Believers need to say it out loud: the use of weapons does not guarantee our security; rather it endangers our lives and the future of our society. It is simply unreasonable! "Syria is the flesh and blood of innocent civilians who have been oppressed and killed by any means (not least the gas, whoever used it); this country is not a chessboard on which to move one's pawns or throw one's devices." It is time for our world to work on healing the wounds of that unfortunate country, not opening new ones. The goal is to recompose a torn society, not to further divide cultures and religions. Therefore, we are aiming to save lives and not lose them.
Marco Impagliazzo - translation by staff
War (not only) in Syria and Pacem in Terris
