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Put Away Your Sword: Gospel Nonviolence in a Violent World


  • DePaul University's Lincoln Park Campus 2250 North Sheffield Avenue Chicago, IL, 60614 United States (map)

DePaul University’s World Catholicism Week:

Put Away Your Sword: 
Gospel Nonviolence in a Violent World

May 3-5, 2019
Chicago
Keynote session moderated by Pace e Bene’s Dr. Ken Butigan

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In 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the Vatican's first World Day of Peace message, Pope Francis issued the groundbreaking statement, "Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace." It was perhaps the Vatican's first official statement on active nonviolence, and it raises a number of important questions for the world Church: Is God nonviolent, and does God want us to renounce violence as well? In a violent world, does nonviolence work?

In this conference, speakers from around the world will explore these questions through five different lenses, each a different roundtable discussion:

  • theologies of nonviolence

  • martyrdom and the cross

  • practices of nonviolent peacebuilding and the "responsibility to protect"

  • gender and nonviolence

  • grassroots church formation of people in the practice of nonviolence

Speakers include the following Catholic Nonviolence Initiative Roundtable Participants:

Maria Clara Bingemer (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro—Brazil), MT Dávila (Merrimack College—North Andover, MA, U.S.A.), Jasmin Nario-Galace (Miriam College and Pax Christi Pilipinas—Quezon City, Philippines), Teresia Wamũyũ Wachira (St. Paul's University & Pax Christi International—Nairobi), Michael L. Budde (DePaul University—Chicago), Fr. Elias Omondi Opongo, SJ (Hekima Institute of Peace Studies & International Relations—Nairobi), Elizabeth Kanini Kimau (Horn of Africa Grassroots Peace Forum—Kenya), and Ana Raffai (Regional Address for Nonviolent Action—Zagreb):

Martha Inés Romero (Pax Christi International—Bogotá) will also be speaking.

See full list of speakers here.

Learn more about this event here.

The Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology was founded at DePaul University in 2008 to produce research that will serve the church and the academy. To fulfill this mission, we have paid special attention to the World Church that has emerged since the Second Vatican Council and its growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Earlier Event: April 28
Pilgrimage for Peace 2019