Christ is risen! A joyous Easter season from the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns to you and your loved ones! May we all be Easter people, signs of the new creation. Immersed in God’s loving mercy, let us seek together a world that better reflects God’s nonviolent reign.
Pray
In the spirit of this paschal transformation, Pope Francis has invited us all to pray for a nonviolent culture throughout the month of April.
- Sixty years after St. John XXIII published the encyclical Pacem in Terris, Francis renews his message and denounces that “war is madness, it is beyond reason.”
- The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network released Francis’ video appeal to build a culture of peace, which should resort “less and less to the use of arms,” because “a lasting peace can exist only without weapons.”
- Calling on both states and citizens to disarm, Francis asks to “make nonviolence a guide for our actions, both in daily life and in international relations.”
Study
The video was released together with a helpful webpage including information on Pacem in Terris, resources on gun violence and steps for building a nonviolent culture, highlighting Francis’ call for both states and citizens to disarm.
Act
Put your prayers for a nonviolent culture into action April 25-27! Join other Christians from across the United States making this Easter season one of real change for our nation and our world:
Register today for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, a virtual conference, co-sponsored by MOGC.
Our 2023 theme is “Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All and Pursuing Peace.” Participants will hear from experts from around the world, receive practical training for advocacy, and lobby Congress to make cuts to out-of-control Pentagon spending, and instead protect essential social programs in this year’s Farm Bill.