Rose Berger Catholic poet, writer, peaceworker

Want Peace? Prepare For It. Si Vis Pacem, Para Pacem. Si Quieres La Paz, Prepara La Paz.

Disarmament, Demilitarization, and Reconciliation with Justice What is your personal experience where you live? guns? make drone parts? over-policing? war preparation? gangs or drugs? nuclear weapons? domestic abuse?

Catholics can use Just Peace to discern action

JUST PEACE is a Christian way for building peace at all stages of acute conflict and draws on three key approaches that form the “head, body, and heart” for just peace.

Just Peace vs Gun violence

What JUST PEACE practices, principles, and virtues do we see in this video? Key questions to ask: What are the root causes of the conflict? What habits are at stake? What just peace practices could be scaled up as transformative initiatives? What do the just peace principles suggest for choosing possible actions?

JUST PEACE practices 1. Support nonviolent direct action 2. Take independent initiatives to reduce threat 3. Use cooperative conflict resolution 4. Acknowledge responsibility, seek repentance 5. Advance democracy, human rights, and religious liberty 6. Foster just and sustainable economic development 7. Work with emerging cooperative forces 8. Strengthen legal and accountability systems 9. Reduce weapons and weapons trade 10. Encourage grassroots peacemaking groups and voluntary associations BODY Just peace practices are transformative initiatives that include two complimentary types: peacebuilding, which is more constructive; and nonviolent resistance, which is more obstructive or non-cooperative with injustice. Video show JP practices: *Just peace practice: take independent action to reduce threat by destroying guns *Just peace practice: work with emerging cooperative forces -- mother of gun victim, community activists, politicians, church leaders *Just peace practice: strengthen legal and accountability systems by engaging political leadership to change gun law, specifically background checks 1. Support nonviolent direct action (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:38-42) 2. Take independent initiatives to reduce threat (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:38-42) 3. Use cooperative conflict resolution (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:21-26) 4. Acknowledge responsibility for conflict and injustice and seek repentance and forgiveness (Biblical basis: Matt. 7:1-5) 5. Advance democracy, human rights, and religious liberty (Biblical basis: Matt. 6:19-34) 6. Foster just and sustainable economic development (Biblical basis: Matt. 6:19-34) 7. Work with emerging cooperative forces in the international system (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:43ff) 8. Strengthen the United Nations and international efforts for cooperation and human rights (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:43ff) 9. Reduce offensive weapons and weapons trade (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:38ff) 10. Encourage grassroots peacemaking groups and voluntary associations (Biblical basis: Matt. 5:1-2, 7:28-29)

JUST PEACE principles Human dignity of all people (just cause) Positive peace/structural justice (right intention) Participatory process/all stakeholders Healthy relationships (right relationships) Reconciliation (wholistic healing) Restoration (repair of harm) Sustainability (processes that can last over time) HEAD Just peace principles guide decision-making in choosing actions. Just peace principle: Human dignity of all people -- didn’t make their point by demonizing anyone Just peace principle: Participatory process bringing together various stakeholders to collaborate 1. Just cause: protecting, defending, and restoring the fundamental dignity of all human life and the common good 2. Right intention: aiming to create a positive peace 3. Participatory process: respecting human dignity by including societal stakeholders—state and non-state actors as well as previous parties to the conflict 4. Right relationship: creating or restoring just social relationships both vertically and horizontally; strategic systemic change requires that horizontal and vertical relationships move in tandem on an equal basis 5. Reconciliation: a concept of justice that envisions a holistic healing of the wounds of war 6. Restoration: repair of the material, psychological, and spiritual human infrastructure 7. Sustainability: developing structures that can help peace endure over time

JUST PEACE virtues What kind of people are we becoming? What habits are shaping us? How do our means of action justify our end goal? Catholic peacemakers develop virtues such as humility, solidarity, hospitality, mercy, patience, discernment, and courage through regular practices of prayer, eucharistic celebration, service, and creativity. Just Peace virtues develop our character and practices so that we will be better motivated and prepared to creatively imagine nonviolent ways to transform conflict, to choose, and to sustain those ways through difficult situations. [http://www.paceebene.org/2017/10/13/nonviolence-and-just-peace/] Just peace virtues: Virtue of solidarity by strengthening relationships between blacksmiths, victims of gun violence, church leaders, and community Just peace virtues: Virtue of creativity by the act of turning an AK-47 into a garden tool. Just peace virtue: Virtue of courage by speaking boldly about personal experience in gun shop.

How are Catholics using JUST PEACE to reduce gun violence?

In CHICAGO, Cardinal Cupich has: 1. Created listening forums on guns with students and young adults 2. Launched a funded Violence Prevention/Nonviolence and Just Peace program 3. Opened a nonviolence center 4. Publicly advocated for “common sense” gun laws 5. Supported nonviolent civil disobedience in support of common sense gun laws 6. Supported the Parish Peace Project and Warriors of Peace programs https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/chicago-archdiocese-creates-new-violence-prevention-program-position https://www.archchicago.org/news-and-events/peaceful-summer In CHICAGO, Cardinal Cupic has: 1. Created listening forums on guns with students and young adults 2. Launched a funded Violence Prevention/Nonviolence and Just Peace program 3. Opened a nonviolence center 4. Publicly advocated for “common sense” gun laws 5. Supported nonviolent civil disobedience in support of common sense gun laws 6. Supported the Parish Peace Project and Warriors of Peace programs

The U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference has outlined what “common sense” gun laws might look like. Link to USCCB’s “Backgrounder on a Mercy and Peacebuilding Approach to Gun Violence https://bit.ly/2gil2rm

Catholic sisters are organizing using “shareholder activism” to change policies of major gun manufacturers Sr. Judy Byron introduced a proposal to Sturm Ruger to reveal risks associated with their business. In May, Ruger’s shareholders voted to comply. Other Catholic sisters are introducing similar proposals to American Outdoor Brands (aka Smith & Wesson) and Dick’s Sporting Goods -- major gun manufacturers and retailers in the U.S. Sr. Judy Byron introduced a proposal to ask gun makers like Sturm Ruger to prepare a report about the financial and reputational risks associated with their business and in May, Ruger’s shareholders voted to comply with the request.

Rose Berger (rosemarieberger.com) Catholic poet, writer, peaceworker