“We cannot remain silent in the face of the terrible rise in violence, acts of inhumanity, of the annihilation of cities and peoples.” Eighty years since the end of the Second World War, amid a growing tide of deadly conflicts, a resounding plea for peace was sent out by the Catholic Churches of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia gathered in the Italian town of Gorizia, calling on “each Christian community to be a beacon of hope, playing an active role in nurturing and backing paths of reconciliation.” On the second day of the Standing Committee of the Italian Episcopal Conference, the three Churches, together with young people from their respective countries, transformed Gorizia’s Transalpina Square — which the participants reached on foot after the Vigil was relocated to the nearby Church of Maria Santissima Regina due to bad weather — from a place once divided by barbed wire and walls into a symbol of encounter and fraternity, beginning with the ‘brotherhood’ of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, which were jointly proclaimed Capital of Culture for the year 2025. “Until not long ago, this square, separated by a border, was a symbol of separation and division. Now, it is a symbol of brotherhood and peace,” said Monsignor Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli, Archbishop of Gorizia and architect of the initiative subsequently embraced by the CEI. “This square symbolises two cities that are both set to become the 2025 European Capital of Culture. They humbly yet resolutely strive to set an example for the numerous world conflicts, divisions and tensions that continue to pit people, families and individuals against each other.”
“The cry rising from many parts of the planet is heart-rending and cannot go unheard”
denounced the presidents of the three respective Episcopal Conferences who read and signed the appeal: “God wants peace, and we are his artisans. We embody this yearning to transcend borders and barriers in our daily lives, jointly drawing on the strength, courage, and determination needed to break free from vicious cycles of resentment and violence.” “As we extend our gaze beyond national borders, which are no longer lines of separation, but spaces for friendship and encounter between peoples, we realise that national, cultural and spiritual identities are merging into a shared, loftier heritage of European identity,” they said. “This requires courageous and fruitful experiences of reconciliation in order to forgive and ask for forgiveness, allowing the absolute good of peace to arise, as envisioned by the founding fathers of the European Community. This is a Europe of peace, open to the world and capable of inspiring brotherhood and universalism far beyond its own borders.”
“We, representing the Churches in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, hereby declare our commitment to serve as houses of peace, promoting non-violence education and welcome initiatives within our respective territories, among young people, families and schools, with the aim of transforming fear of the other into opportunities for sharing, prayer and activities that foster a culture of encounter, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, disarmament and solidarity,” reads the appeal. “We, the Churches in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, pledge to respect the inalienable dignity of every person from conception to natural death, to support the poor, sick and elderly, to uphold truth and justice as the cornerstones of community life, to uphold religious freedom as a fundamental human right, to promote reconciliation and healing of historical wounds, and to foster the care of Creation – that we are called to protect and pass on to future generations better than we found it.”
“United by a common desire for peace, we reaffirm our commitment to non-violence, dialogue, active listening and meaningful encounters as a means of fostering fraternity among all people, starting with the leaders of nations – that they may promote solutions that guarantee the security and dignity of all.”
The bishops’ concluding commitment: “To this end, we offer our witness and our active engagement.” “Our prayer emanates from this region, spreading to encompass the entire Balkans, uniting the Holy Land, Ukraine, and all other war-torn regions”, is the three Churches’ joint embrace.
“Tonight, we heed the cries of the fallen in dreadful wars of the past while they dreamed of world harmony and peace. We remember the victims whose blood continues to be shed today as a result of senseless massacres,”
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, echoed this sentiment in his homily: “We heed the call of all those whose lives have been lost to blind and fratricidal violence of war; of those who have suffered its terrible consequences, which remain forever etched in the hearts and bodies of those affected.”
“We ask for peace for the Gaza Strip, peace for Ukraine, peace in all armed conflicts that form part of a piecemeal world war. May there be peace also for all those whose identities we do not even know.”
The final appeal: “To disarm means to love rather than seek possession; to rid ourselves of the seeds of hatred and revenge that render the heart barren and ultimately justify violence, whether in words, coldness, embarrassment or prejudice. From Gorizia, a city scarred by history but also one that has transformed borders into gateways and walls into bridges, we plead for peace. In the light of those borders that no longer exist, we send a message of hope to those in despair: peace is possible.”
