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Dear
friends of the International Pax Christi Family,
I
am very glad to be here with you. The Council gives us the chance to meet and
to exchange new ideas. I was briefly with you during the previous Council in
Amman, two years ago, and I learned that this is an occasion to try to find
the necessary answers for the challenges of today. A special word of welcome
to our delegates, guests, partners and the corresponding members from the
South. Some of you met in our regional consultations, in Strasbourg, September
2000; in Pretoria, October 2000; and last week at the third Asia Pacific
Consultation in Bangkok.
The
time of these meetings is very significant. We meet at a time of profound
distress. Since our latest Council in Amman and Jerusalem, in 1999, we have
seen dramatic and tragic events worldwide. Recently the terrorist attacks in
the USA on the 11th of September, followed by anti-terrorist
campaigns, and, since 7 October, the war in Afghanistan. At the same time we
know that there are so many violent conflicts going on in our world. In some
cases these have been covered by international media, but in most cases there
is too little coverage, or they may even be forgotten, such as in the Sudan.
How to face the challenges of the future?
Let
us first of all pray for all the victims of this violence, for their families,
for the people who still live in shock and fear. Let us hope and pray that
people can express their fear and that their anger will not result in hate or
revenge. Most of our member organisations have been dealing with this by
expressing their solidarity with the victims of terror and war; by organising
campaigns to break the spiral of violence; by organising meetings with friends
of other religions, especially with our Moslem brothers and sisters, and by
urging politicians asking them to take the right decisions.
What
is the response to violence?
The
attacks of 11 September are “crimes against humanity.” Those responsible
must be apprehended and brought to justice through due process. Justice, not
vengeance must be our goal. A special tribunal should be created, through the
authority of the UN, to bring the perpetrators before justice. In the near
future, the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be established.
Perpetrators of genocide and other criminal acts should be punished according
to international law. We call on all governments, especially the Bush
Administration, to ratify the Rome Statute, and to make the ICC a reality in
the year 2002.
The
anger and fear I mentioned earlier has mainly to do with the feelings of
insecurity. More than ever, the globalisation of insecurity has become a
reality. No weapon system, no military strategy can stop such types of
terrorist attacks. Neither any offensive strategy, nor any defensive strategy
will solve the problem of terrorism. The only solution lies in social justice,
which constitutes a preventive strategy. We also see that the globalisation of
the economy goes on and is deepening the division between the haves and
have-nots. I quote here Aristoteles who said, “Poverty is the father of
revolution and crime.” Though poverty is not by itself the cause of
terrorism, we cannot successfully combat terrorism if we do not address the
worsening disparities between the rich and poor. We must recognise that global
disparity is fundamentally incompatible with global security.
Break
spiral of violence in Middle East
I
know from the experience of my own region, where escalation and further
bloodshed goes on.
Shootings
and killings from both sides in the conflict will only deepen further the
hatred and acts of revenge. When will the international community, and we, be
ready to remove the most obvious elements that spawn the conditions for hatred
and violence? Poverty along with other situations of marginalisation that
engulf the lives of so many people, including the denial of human dignity, the
lack of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, social exclusion,
intolerable refugee situations, internal and external displacement and
physical or psychological oppression are breeding grounds waiting to be
exploited. I sincerely thank the whole Pax Christi movement for showing
solidarity with all the victims of violence in my region. Thank you for your
commitment in keeping the Israeli – Palestine conflict on the agenda of
politicians and church leaders. Let us hope that one day the occupation will
be ended and that Israeli and Palestinians can live together in a peaceful
way. There is no alternative. A continuation of the unjust situation will
inevitably continue to fuel more violence. That is the condition to prevent
more conflicts in the decades ahead.
Campaigning
for disarmament
There
are conflicts today in several regions that do not even receive world
attention. With their ease-of-use and ready availability, small arms are the
weapons of choice for today’s combatants. The supply of almost limitless
quantities of small arms and light weapons through areas of high tension has
fuelled numerous civil wars and social chaos. Small arms kill upwards of
thousands of people per week and most of them are civilians. I appreciate very
much the initiatives taken by our movement to tackle the illegal production,
the trade and proliferation of small arms. At the same time, we may not forget
that the weapons of mass
destruction continue to pose serious treats to our world. There is much our
world can do to help prevent future terrorist acts carried out with weapons of
mass destruction. The greatest immediate danger arises from a non-state group,
or even an individual, acquiring and using a nuclear, biological, or chemical
weapon. Furthermore, some politicians consider the use of tactical nuclear
weapons in their fight against the terrorist network in Afghanistan. Nuclear
weapons are incompatible with the peace we seek for our century. The continued
possession of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are
endangering all humanity and they must be abolished.
This
distressing time must teach us that violence and war are not inevitable. An
unavoidable clash of civilisations is not our fate. War and mass violence
usually result from deliberate political decisions. Rather than intervening in
violent conflicts after they have erupted and then engaging in post-conflict
peace building, it is more humane and more efficient to prevent such violence
by addressing its roots. This is the essence of a culture of peace approach.
Towards
a spirituality of dialogue
Let
us reinforce efforts to deepen knowledge and understanding of the diversity of
cultures, and readiness to accept one another, including our differences, and
to welcome the other in willingness to live together. More than ever before
the major theme for this century will be: peace between religions and cultures
in order to have peace between nations. As an international movement for
peace, human rights and justice, we should promote, more than ever, the idea
of “a culture of dialogue.” Such a peace approach could end in
reconciliation and stable relationships between peoples. Such a culture of
dialogue is a style of life, which is characterized by a deep relationship of
love, understanding, solidarity, unity, and peace among peoples of various
cultures and religions. One who is involved in this dialogue relates
profoundly and meaningfully with God, with his/her own self, with others, and
with the whole of creation, in a desire to attain peace for all of humanity.
Dialogue becomes a culture when many people of sincere hearts and minds
believe and practise it, and promote it in all levels of society. We can call
this “spirituality of dialogue.” Dialogue and peace are the answers to the
signs of the times, the call for unity in diversity in the midst of pluralism
in the world today. The basic element of life in dialogue is our faith. Let us
continue to express our desire for peace and justice and we pray for it:
O God, you have called us to peace, for
you are peace itself. May we have the vision to see that each of us, in some
measure, can help to realise: enlightenment and knowledge – acceptance and
love – confidence and trust – freedom and justice – prosperity and
health – harmony and peace. We
ask you to give strength for those who suffer, and peace and reconciliation
for all peoples. Pax Christi. Amen.
H.B. Michel Sabbah
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
International Pax Christi President
Mainz, 1 November 2001 |
