Archbishop Paglia: ‘Building peace calls for spiritual conversion’

 By Massimiliano Menichetti and Andrea De Angelis – Rimini

The need for spiritual conversion and to rediscover the Gospel of fraternity to build peace in a world torn by war are the themes at the heart of an interview conducted by  Vatican Radio-Vatican News with Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, on the sidelines of the Rimini Meeting. The President of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAL),  spoke on Thursday at a round table entitled "Paths of Peace"  along with the Italian Vice President of the Council of Ministers and and Foreign Minister  Antonio Tajani.

For many people, the word peace sounds like an abstract  word, yet you have said several times that we must never give up on building it, pointing to the Pope's two Encyclicals Laudato si' and Fratelli Tutti...

Archbishop Paglia: Yes, indeed, because what is missing in the world today, not only in Italy and Europe, is a vision. Countries, and even individuals ,are absorbed by themselves, that in a world that has become globalized and dominated by  the economy everyone is focused on pursuing and defending their own personal interests or agendas.

Pope Francis, instead, offers us a vision: that we live in one home, the planet (Laudato si’”),  and that we are one family of peoples, which is universal fraternity. Believing that we have a common Father of all these children of God is crucial for peace.

We quiver at the idea of what Pope Francis calls a "piecemeal" World War III, but in fact we are already tearing the world apart, we are already crushing it causing unimaginable tragedies: there are 59 wars underway, although we only talk about two of them every day, the one in Ukraine and the one in the Middle East.  In my view the crucial point is that there is a need for a spiritual conversion, to understand that we have a responsibility for everyone. This is the the engelical prophecy that Pope Francis holds high, but many hide under a bushel.

Pope Francis speaks of the globalization of indifference, which also includes fueling conflicts and wars. You reiterated the concept of the globalization of humanism, that is, a reality that has man as its focus. How is this actually done? 

Archbishop Paglia:  Many people wage war but we can all make peace, so no one can say I don't care the war in Ukraine about or I can’t do anything about it.  You can be saddened by what’s happening or outraged, but you can also pray, cooperate with the many who are committed to promoting peace or even solidarity. There are many things we can do. Unfortunately, what prevails today is what a dear friend of mine, Giuseppe De Rita, called the new religion, that is, "egolatry", the worship of self, on whose altar everything, even the most cherished human affections are sacrificed. We must move from this destructive individualism to a fraternal "we". This is the great revolution that Pope Francis is talking about and I would hope that all Churches, not just the Catholic one, will unite on this.

There is a beautiful phrase by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, remembered for his historic embrace with Pope VI, which said: "Sister Churches, Brother Peoples", if the Churches are divided, what will the people be like? That's the big question.

There is also a paradox: so much individualism but also powerless in the face of evil. Where can we draw inspiration so as not to feel helpless?

Archbishop Paglia: From the Gospel, which clearly tells us that everything is possible. We must rediscover the Word of God as a source of historical and non-abstract energy. We Christians have the responsibility to change reality: this is what Jesus did, He gave the disciples the power to do the same and we should continue along this line. With great simplicity, let's start reading the Gospel every day again, truly welcoming it and that internal tension will become a historical reality of change.

In Rimini there are many different realities, including non-Catholics who come to create bridges of knowledge and meet: is this the key?

Archbishop Paglia: Absolutely!  Paul VI had had this intuition when he wrote his first Encyclical ‘Ecclesiam suam’ in which he said that a Christian is by his nature universal, in the Church, in his relationship with Christians, with other religions and even with those who do not believe. This is why Pope Francis underlines that defending our identity requires openness, our identity is being universal brothers: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Charles de Foucauld are some examples. I would like all Christians to experience this tension which is that of God.

What is essential to building peace?

Archbishop Paglia: Loving and loving each other.

How important it is to build peace in your family, in your home: to be artisans of peace we must be so at home...

Archbishop Paglia: Absolutely,  because wars start at home, then they become dramatic. In this sense, peace means loving and being loved: let's take care of each other and we will also defeat wars.