Document
Delivered by Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti during the Peace Plenary at the WCC 10th Assembly.
Mr moderator, dear general secretary, dear sisters and brothers,
I thank you for giving me the opportunity to transmit to you the greetings of the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic community from Rome.
Having been invited to this Peace Plenary, and having in mind that war is the mother of all poverty, I was asking myself: How can we, children of the God of Life, be, in words and deeds, also authentic disciples of the Lord of Peace?
In this age of globalization, it may seems our common sky is empty of visions, dreams and hopes. But the spiritual dimension of our being here speaks of a greater hope, of a dream for this world, of a dream of peace: Christians, in unity, can give the whole humanity a new courage to hope. Convening here is therefore a precious reservoir of hope in societies which are often poor in hope.
Christians - like those of us here - do not have military or economic means, but they have their own spiritual and human strength – in our Community, we call it a “weak strength” – aimed at transforming the world by transforming individuals, by transforming hearts. It is the “weak strength” of human contact, dialogue, friendship: A strength which is not arrogant, but humble and tenacious. This is what Sant’Egidio is trying to do in those places where we are now acting as peace mediators: In Mindanao and in the Philippines. In Casamance and in Senegal. In the Central African Republic. In other places where peace negotiations are going on.
We discovered that the inherent strength of the work of Christians for peace rests first and foremost in not having any interest – whether political or financial – other than the achievement of peace as such. Christian selflessness can exert a persuasive force in the healing of conflicts. Yes, there is a huge need of people for whom peace is a passion and not a profession. That is why peace needs Christians.
Peace needs Christians, because there is a human factor that is crucial in deciding between peace and war. Certainly, unfair systems and unjust structures need to be changed. But Christians cannot blame the others alone, or blame sinful structures, if peace is not fulfilled in our world. This attitude risks transforming Christians into lazy repeaters of exhausted formulas. No, we have also to ask ourselves how our thinking that we are righteous, our resignation, our divisions, sometimes have made us obstacles to peace.
I therefore thank the Lord for these days here, where we are helping each other to delve deep in the wells of our faith. Because we need one another. Thinking to be self-sufficient in one’s own denomination risks making us blind towards the grief and anxieties our world. No, diversity is not contrast or contradiction, but persuasive and polyphonic strength. Here – if we want - we can find the spiritual resources that enable us to embrace others and to bring peace.
Christians can be powerful instruments of peace. Not because we are always on the right side of history, but because we recognize ourselves as sinners who have been forgiven. And that is how we become able to forgive and to bring hope and peace to the peoples.
Dear friends, the task is huge. We men and women are small and weak. But, we believe that our Lord is greater still.
