CEI: Don’t wait for the war to end before building peace

Do not wait for the war to end before you start building peace. Prepare for it in advance, within local areas and communities, by tackling inequalities, acknowledging conflicts, defusing rhetoric and countering any form of exploitation of identities. This was the outlook that emerged at the conclusion of the national seminar ‘Building Plural Identities in the Service of Peace’, organised from 7 to 9 September in Frascati by Caritas Italiana and the National Office for Social Affairs and Labour of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.

Three days of listening, in-depth discussion and debate have shown how wars are prepared long before weapons are used. This happens when identity becomes a fortress to be defended, the border an insurmountable wall, the national interest the sole criterion for decision-making, and the ‘other’ a threat from which to protect oneself. It also happens when inequalities and a sense of abandonment fuel fear and resentment, creating new ground for nationalism and conflicting allegiances.

The seminar highlighted the need to move beyond the notion of pure, homogeneous and self-sufficient identities. Personal, cultural and religious identities are shaped by history, differences and relationships; they do not become more fragile when we encounter others, but can, on the contrary, become more self-aware and generative. Even borders, without being erased, can be transformed from lines of separation into spaces of recognition and reciprocity.

“The commitment we are making at the end of these days is to turn our communities into true schools of peace,” says Father Marco Pagniello, director of Caritas Italiana. “This means taking action within our dioceses, forging alliances and changing the narrative, demonstrating through concrete actions that peace is something we are taught and practised, starting with the contexts of our daily lives. We must also find new ways to inform and engage our communities, ensuring we reach everyone. It is a vision of hope, necessary to free ourselves from fears and ensure that these do not dictate our choices.”

A second point concerns the way we understand peace, which is neither the absence of conflict nor a generic call for harmony. Conflict is part of the lives of individuals and communities and can become an opportunity for change. War begins when the logic of force replaces relationships, the rule of law and politics. “After the Second World War, there was a growing realisation that war could no longer be the means of resolving conflicts. Today, however, it is once again being considered as a normal solution,” says Father Bruno Bignami, director of the National Office for Social Issues and Labour at the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI).
““This is a sign of relational poverty: we have stopped working on relationships and risk entrusting to force what we should be entrusting to the rule of law, dialogue and a truly inclusive citizenship. Building plural identities therefore means asking ourselves what kind of relationships we want to foster between people, within our communities and between countries.”