Photo: COMECE
CEC Programme Officer for Theology and Studies Ms Katerina Pekridou contributed to discussion in an event hosted by the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) - Commission on EU Eternal Relations, held from 20 to 21 March 2024, in Brussels.
Pekridou shared reflections on the war in Ukraine, introducing CEC initiative Pathways to Peace, highlighting the significance of “just peace” for churches. “Essential to the work of reconciliation is justice. Christian literature has emphasised three kinds of justice: restorative, retributive and structural. Retributive justice, which holds accountable the wrongdoers for their actions, which is the task of the legally constituted state,” said Pekridou.
She went on to say “acknowledging that injustice has been done, and ensuring that such injustice will not be tolerated in the future. Restorative justice guarantees that what was taken wrongfully from the victims is restored, either directly or in a symbolic way. Structural justice ensures that the institutions of society are reformed to prevent injustice from happening again. International law is crucial in this regard," she added.
The event featured input from Prof. Volodymyr Turchynovskyy, Dean of Social Sciences Faculty and Director of the International Institute for Ethics and Contemporary Issues, Ukrainian Catholic University. Presentations and greetings were also shared by H.E. Mgr. Jan Vokál, President of the EU External Relations Commission, Rev. Fr Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, and Marek Misak, Secretary of the EU External Relations Commission.