Demonstrating against nukes is no longer enough, says Pax Christi
Author Marian Pallister and nuclear submarines at Faslane.
Pax Christi Scotland, a newly-formed peace project, will officially launch later this month (23-25 November) with its inaugural conference at the Conforti Centre in Coatbridge, hosted and funded by the Xaverian Missionaries.
Its mission is to promote peace in the family, the school, the parish, and the wider community. The project will fall under the guiding principles of Pax Christi International (the Peace of Christ) a global, Gospel-based faith movement, whose mission is to create a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in any form.
Key speakers at the event include Liz Dornan, of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, who will address the issue of promoting an environment of peace in our schools.
Argyll-based Marian Pallister, author and columnist and member of the Pax Christi Scotland steering group, said: “Pope Francis has encouraged us to create a society in which nonviolence pervades all aspects of our lives. It is no longer enough to demonstrate against nuclear weapons and campaign against arms sales.
“We must start at grass roots level to instil an ethos of nonviolence in the home, the playground, and the parish. If we can be at peace with our physical neighbour, it becomes easier to reach out in peace and love to the ‘neighbours’ Christ suggests – the migrant, the refugee, the stranger. Pax Christi Scotland aims to nurture nonviolence at every level.”