“Si View Pacem Para Pacem”: it is in other words that the social doctrine of the Church asks to face the current situation, says Father Francesco Occhetta. While the AIA is discussed the increase in military expenses at 5%, and Prime Minister Meloni defends the choice in Parliament in the name of security, a part of the Catholic world, in harmony with the repeated appeals to the peace of Pope Leo, launches a proposal that has the flavor of the prophecy and the bitter awareness of urgency. Establish a Ministry of Peacethey ask for over 30 associations, ecclesial, civil and secular entities. They met on June 24, in Rome, at the Domus Mariae, guests of the Catholic Action, which with Acli, the Fratelli Tutti Foundation, John XXIII was among the promoters of the meeting.
The four ecclesial realities start from the consideration that in 2024 we recorded 59 conflicts, the highest number from the Second World War. And parallel the global expenditure in armaments has reached an absolute record with 2.46 trillion dollars. «Investments in armaments equipment proved unable to resolve crisis situations. Indeed, in most cases, they were one of the main contributing factors, “reads the manifesto in support of the project. “Create healthier institutions, the right systems, more solidarity structures», As the BRONTELLI TUTLO says, is the profound mandate that inspires the campaign, which started in 2017, from the intuition of Don Oreste Benzi (” promoting peace means organizing it “). The founder of the John XXIII community had listened to the cry of the victims of the conflict in the Balkans in the 90s. «The lords of the war, propaganda, made us become enemies in a fly. Wives and children, neighbors, people who were friends the day before, became enemies. We were juicy of that propaganda because we were not prepared. Peace must be educated, institutions must work for peace ».
Laila Simoncelli, 57 years old, expert in human rights, lawyer with Pope Francis (1936-2025)
From that cry was born the reflection that led to the proposal to create a ministry of peace, he says Laila Simoncelli57 years old, expert in human rights, lawyer, who with the community founded by Don Benzi visited several countries with the non -violent civil body of the Colomba operation, and is the national coordinator of the Ministry of Peace campaign. “We have been trying for some time to raise awareness of the territories, political decision makers and administrators on the urgent need to reverse the course and really start building peace policies, as our Constitution asks. The goal is also to find coordination that can finally combine the fragmented skills between different ministries, give an institutional house to those of the third sector and of all the peace builders who hold social cohesion in this country “.
At this moment when there is an international war situation and a racing race, yours seems precisely the voice of someone who shouts in the desert. A prophecy that remains there or is there any concrete possibility?
“First of all, precisely because there is this spread of violence, it is important that we cultivate the antibodies of those who believe in peace, in peace policies, otherwise there will be no arms to this drift that we are taking. And therefore, in any case, recalling and claiming the dignity of peace is fundamental precisely in this historical moment. Furthermore, precisely because we see what the neglect of peace and the lack of active peace policies is bringing us to, there is a new sensitivity even among political decision makers. I certainly do not see on the horizon the immediate institution of this ministry, but the experiences that this ministry should already coordinate exist, and what exists is possible. We must bring the institutions, citizens back on the ground and make people understand that those experiences of peace that already exist can be directed to reverse this deleterious route that is bringing back to us in history. It is a question of establishing a new ministerial ministerial department, referring to the principle of specificity of administrative functions, to the principle of subsidiarity and article 11 of the Constitution. We thought about the establishment of several departments, five, with two fundamental bodies: the Coating Consultation and Coverage of the Third Sector, which deals with all the Peace Dossiers, and an interministerial committee, in order to make regimen, at a structural level, the existing experiences “.
Does it make me an example?
«The non -violent transformation of conflicts, non -violent communication, the school approach of the principles of reparative justice, are things that are already done. The third sector has great skills, essential for our younger generations; If there was the Ministry of Peace with its education department and with the interministerial committee, we could bring these skills into a structural way within the school curriculum. In the same way, what is the unarmed and non -violent defense, which now exists in the institutionalized forms of the civil bodies of peace and civil service, could find new expressions, because non -armed and non -violent popular defense is the heritage of all citizens, not only of young people, but goes from 0 to 100 years. Why in our country have we structured the armed defense but is there no possibility for citizens who want, to form and engage in the non -violent and unarmed popular defense? Why cannot this other piece become structural, with a register of those who want to voluntarily hire for peace? ».
Is there any country that already has an experience of the type you propose?
«Costa Rica, Nepal, Ethiopia, have constituted the Ministry of Peace. In other states there are organisms that are called peace conferences. In Costa Rica there are the provincial districts of full peace, they are centers where mediation is done, reparative justice, important aggregation centers for young people, where peace skills are provided by the state, at a structural level, to all citizens “.
Any local experiences in Italy?
«Since we started our campaign, in the last two years, going around the territories, many councilors for peace have been born. I quote the Municipality of Trapani, which has established the delegations to peace, the consultation of the peace builders as a coat of co -producing and covering. It is an experience that was born last year and that is doing very well and can be re -proposed in many municipalities “.
What do you expect with this proposal?
«We expect to continue an interlocution, a dialogue with the peace structures and administrations. We have also already ready a bill for the establishment of the Ministry of Peace and surely this is an important stage and then continues to carry on our Advocacy at the level of political decision makers and above all at the territorial level, in a widespread way, because the people of peace is much wider than the people who want war “.
the card
In the manifesto of the campaign for the establishment of a Ministry of Peace, it is recalled that article 11 of the Italian Constitution contains the quadruple repudiation of the war providing: rejection of the armed statue sovereignties; rejection of negative peace; rejection of unilateralism; Active participation in institutional multilateralism for the realization of positive peace. And, in our country, in addition to various consultations, committees and observers, there are several departments that in different ways deal with activities connected directly or indirectly to the promotion of peace and the prevention of violence (Youth Department and Civil Service with delegation to the Minister; Social and Labor Policies; Civil Protection Department; Civil Liberty Department with also competence of social fragility; Internal Ministry; Penitentiary Administration Department: Justice reconciliation; Nonetheless, there is no institutional control room that is able to give body to a new national system for the promotion of peace and for the social cohesion of citizens.
The areas in which, in a transversal way, the new dicastery should act, are:
Promotion of peace policies for the construction and spread of a culture of peace through education and research, the promotion of human rights, development and national and international solidarity, intercultural dialogue, integration.
Disarmament- monitoring the implementation of agreements, treaties and international recommendations; Studies and research for the gradual rationalization and reduction of expenses for armaments and the progressive production differentiation with the conversion to civil purposes of the industries in the defense sector.
Stimulation of the research and war industrial reconversion for civil purposes through paths that see the participation of civil society, local authorities (region, provinces and municipalities), unions, company managers and experts.
Unarmed and nonviolent civil defense, with particular regard to the civil bodies of peace and the civil service as tools for nonviolent intervention of civil society in the situations of conflict and in contexts of structural and cultural violence.
Prevention and reduction of social and cultural violence, and promoting a free language from hatred. Qualification of education policies with respect to nonviolence, positive and nonviolent transformation of conflicts, protection of human rights and peace maintenance.
Social mediation, reconciliation and reparative justice.
