War, Peace and the Christian

Human Dignity Reading Group

Everyone knows that a “balance of terror” is a poor substitute for the true peace of human flourishing. Pope Paul VI said, “No more war!, war never again”. How can Christians help bridge the gap between the dire reality of actual and threatened military destruction and the Christian aspiration for the “peace which surpasses all understanding”?

For general background on the topic please see:

Lisa Sowle Cahill, Love your Enemies: Discipleship, Pacifism, and Just War Theory, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994)

 

All meetings will be held between 4 and 6pm in the Aquinas Room, 17 Beaumont Street.

 

23^rd October 2019

Just War and the Commitment to Peace: This session explores the horror of modern warfare and its influence on changes in Catholic teachings relating to war and peace.

• Benedict XV, To Peoples now at war and their rulers, (1915)
• Paul VI’s Address to the United Nations, 1965
• John Paul II, Speech to the United Nations, (1979)

Whilst it is not essential to do so, it might be useful to read:

• John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, (1963)

 

6^th November 2019

Development as Peace: This session will investigate the meaning behind Paul VI’s famous dictum ‘if you want justice, work for peace’.

•  Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, (1967)

 

20^th November 2019

The Human Person and the Nature of Peace: This session will explore the relationship between God’s plan for humanity and the need to pursue peace.

•  Benedict XVI, The Human Person and the Right to Peace, (2007)
• Francis, No Longer Slaves, But Brothers and Sisters, (2015)

 

4^th December 2019

The Environment: during this session we will discuss the relationship between care for creation and peace.

• Francis, Laudato Si, (2015)

 

 

 

 

 

Venue: Aquinas Seminar Room - 17 Beaumont Street Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 2NA United Kingdom Array ( [lat] => 51.7548892 [lng] => -1.2616487 )

Contact:
Las Casas Institute
lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk