Negate Violence by Affirming Our Faith

WE BELIEVE
As Christians,
we believe in announcing the peace in Christ, the Gospel of God,
and we believe that the Church is a community called to faith in Him,
the Crucified and Risen One.

As Christians,
we cannot justify any war.
A just war cannot exist
because killing a person, even if guilty, can never be justified by a creed.
Life is the most important gift from the God of Life
but, as Jesus shows, it must not be defended with weapons.

As Christians,
we radically refuse the power of weapons.
We shall not plan, construct, sell, buy or use weapons.
We refuse any idea of peace built on weapons.

As Christians,
we shall not contribute with our money, mediation or silence
to maintain a system of violence that kills
and in which, against our will, we are all involved and collaborating,
we shall not feign ignorance, keep quiet, and justify:
if we remain indifferent towards this suffering, we become seriously guilty.

As Christians,
we must, in words and in acts,
say STOP to this horror.
Those who at the Lord's Supper are nourished by God
cannot at the same time nourish themselves by war.

As Christians,
we believe that the Lord is peace,
that war is the contrary of God.
We believe in God's love,
we believe in His peace as a gift
which came about through the incarnation, death and resurrection of His Son.
We believe in His salvation, already present,
and offered to all humanity.

This is our faith,
because it is the faith in the Son of God, the disarmed Messiah:
Like Him, we believe in God, who is the strength of Love,
who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in peace as a gift and a non-violent commitment,
pro-active and creative.

We believe that it is the way and the witness
which, in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit
God has shown to His Church.

Amen


(Contribution from churches in Bologna -Italy)