Peace Alone Is Holy! Not War! – Pope Francis

In a world where the military industrial complex is given free reign and violent, racist, white nationalism is worshipped by far too many, these words of Pope Francis must be heard…

We never tire of repeating that the name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone is holy. Peace alone is holy, not war! …Peace, a thread of hope that unites earth to heaven, a word so simple and difficult at the same time. Peace means Forgiveness, the fruit of conversion and prayer, that is born from within and that, in God’s name, makes it possible to heal old wounds. Peace means Welcome, openness to dialogue, the overcoming of closed-mindedness, which is not a strategy for safety, but rather a bridge over an empty space. Peace means Cooperation, a concrete and active exchange with another, who is a gift and not a problem, a brother or sister with whom to build a better world. Peace denotes Education, a call to learn every day the challenging art of communion, to acquire a culture of encounter, purifying the conscience of every temptation to violence and stubbornness which are contrary to the name of God and human dignity. — Against War: Building a Culture of Peace, p. 71-72