War and peace. Despair and hope. Death and life. In the midst of all this, there are the homeless, the desperate, those needing guidance, those who have lost everything. And those who cry out for help and a listening ear. World history seems to be on a downward spiral. Individual stories struggle to cope with everyday life. At the Arsenal of Peace of Turin, run by the missionary youth organisation SERMIG, current world events are intertwined with the difficulties of everyday life and the yearning for a better future. Above all, they are intertwined with the desire to rise above evil. Driven by this desire, Ernesto Olivero – founder and inspirational leader of SERMIG – discusses current world events with SIR.
It seems that the winds of war are blowing strongly all over the world. Could it be that we are unaware of the danger we are running?
I think people are aware of the danger, but not of what’s really at stake. In the space of a few years, values and principles we took for granted, such as multilateralism, international law and the idea of war as a last resort, have been eroded. It now seems normal to discuss rearmament, the survival of the fittest and death. I say that none of this is normal, and that we must not accept this false normality. It is the responsibility of those who believe in peace to try to spread a light, however faint it may be, but light nonetheless, especially at a time when the world is turning darker.
What is the message of the Arsenale della Pace (Arsenal of Peace)?
There is not only one message. There are many. First of all, the Arsenal of Peace is living proof that evil does not have the last word. A weapons factory that wrought death and destruction during the War of Italian Unification (the Risorgimento) and two world wars, is now a house of life. If this applies to walls, why shouldn’t it apply to people, societies, relations between states? Those who have been here, who know this place, are aware of the power of goodness. We have even written it: goodness is disarming. At the same time, we must be very clear and very honest: peace is not a word, it is not a slogan to be shouted in the streets. Especially today.
What is peace?
Rooted in forgiveness and justice, peace must be a fact and a choice. We need to reach out to those who have suffered, to those who have been attacked, to those who are grieving on both sides.
Not everyone has the strength to do this.
Of course not. It takes time. It takes perseverance and sharing.
We are at the culmination of the Jubilee of Hope. Is it realistic to hope for a different world?
Is there an alternative to hope? There is, but it’s called despair, hatred, anger. It leads nowhere. Hope is within our reach, but it’s not a magic thought: we have to choose it, nurture it, support it. Hope to me means seeing a person who is crying, confronting a problem, a painful situation, and never saying: “How sad”, but rather: “What can I do for you?” When this attitude will become a common and shared way of thinking, the world will change.
Dialogue, acceptance, sharing, peace. In SERMIG these are everyday realities, while outside SERMIG they appear distant. Is this the case?
Fortunately, I see many people and organisations committed to this way of life. There is a hidden goodness that we often ignore and find difficult to perceive. It’s the goodness of welcome, of never leaving anyone behind, of not being afraid to take risks to defend an ideal. I could mention dozens and dozens of stories and experiences that remind us of this. I believe that it is this goodness that will save the world, that will prevent it from closing itself in in total despair. Let us learn to recognise it, to embrace it, to nurture it, without triumphalism, simply with our everyday lives.
In conclusion, we live in a world that seems to be heading for the abyss, while everything around us seems to fuel a climate of fear and uncertainty. It almost seems that God is ‘distracted’. What can our fragile humanity do?
God is never distracted. God walks with us, He never leaves us, even when we think He isn’t there. God is certainty for me. I have fallen in love with Him and it moves me to think that, as Jesus said, God has so much faith in us that He tells us that we will do even greater works than He. This is how God works in the world, through our ability to empathise, our desire to contribute, to change, and not to give in to evil and fear. In difficult times we must never lose sight of this. Let us do all we can. Let us not forget this!
