Peace and non-violence
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
“At the center of the Church’s teaching on peace…are the transcendence of God and the dignity of the human person.” (The Challenge of Peace, #15)
Peace is a central work of the Peace and Justice Ministry, as the name indicates. In fact, the Church, following the Prophet Isaiah, teaches that Peace is the fruit of Justice. If we want to achieve peace, therefore, we need to work for justice. However, there are several instances when the work for peace is done more or less directly as when violence needs to be addressed more immediately. There are several situations where this approach applies, from world or regional wars to very local urban or domestic violence, for example.
One of the main guidelines on the work for peace is the Pastoral Statement issued by the USCCB in 1983 called “The Challenge of Peace”.
In the Diocese of El Paso, the Peace & Justice Ministry is mainly involved in two efforts regarding peace:
“At the center of the Church’s teaching on peace…are the transcendence of God and the dignity of the human person.” (The Challenge of Peace, #15)
Peace is a central work of the Peace and Justice Ministry, as the name indicates. In fact, the Church, following the Prophet Isaiah, teaches that Peace is the fruit of Justice. If we want to achieve peace, therefore, we need to work for justice. However, there are several instances when the work for peace is done more or less directly as when violence needs to be addressed more immediately. There are several situations where this approach applies, from world or regional wars to very local urban or domestic violence, for example.
One of the main guidelines on the work for peace is the Pastoral Statement issued by the USCCB in 1983 called “The Challenge of Peace”.
In the Diocese of El Paso, the Peace & Justice Ministry is mainly involved in two efforts regarding peace:
- The development of a “School of Nonviolence” to promote awareness, education, training, and engagement on the various local issues of violence affecting the people in our borderland; and
- The campaign called “Heeding God’s Call” to specifically address arms trafficking into our neighbor Mexico. This trafficking, usually through straw purchase, fuels the violence that mutilates and kills thousands of Mexicans every year, who for us here in El Paso, are often our relatives.