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“No religion is terrorist. Violence profanes the name of God. Let us never tire of repeating: ‘The name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone is holy. Peace alone is holy, not war!’”. Pope Francis reiterates this with force in his Message for the World Day of Peace in which he recalls that “the Church has been involved in nonviolent peacebuilding strategies in many countries, engaging even the most violent parties in efforts to build a just and lasting peace”. “Such efforts on behalf of the victims of injustice and violence are not the legacy of the Catholic Church alone, but are typical of many religious traditions, for which compassion and nonviolence are essential elements pointing to the way of life”, Pope Francis writes, having recalled earlier in his message John Paul II’s role as a peacemaker “in the eventful decade that ended with the fall of Communist regimes in Europe”. According to Pope Francis, “the Christian communities made their own contribution by their insistent prayer and courageous action” and “particularly influential were the ministry and teaching of Saint John Paul II”. “Reflecting on the events of 1989 in his 1991 Encyclical Centesimus Annus – the Pope goes on to write -, my predecessor highlighted the fact that momentous change in the lives of people, nations and states” comes about “by means of peaceful protest, using only the weapons of truth and justice”.

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