Photo: COMECE/Riccardo Antonetti
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) joined a distinguished panel at the recent conference titled “Is there a Just War? European Values in Times of Aggression,” held as part of the European External Action Service (EEAS) European Future Talks 2024 in Rome.
Organised by CEC’s Catholic partner in EU dialogue, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and the EEAS, the event was hosted in collaboration with the Faculty of Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University on 25 October.
The conference gathered diverse voices to explore the complex issue of “just war” within a European context, reflecting on whether the concept holds relevance in times of heightened aggression.
Ms Katerina Pekridou, CEC Programme Officer for Theology and Studies, represented CEC as a featured speaker, contributing to the debate with insights drawn from CEC’s Pathways to Peace Initiative. She addressed the topic “War – A Remedy Against Dictatorship, Terror, and Crimes Against Humanity?”
Pekridou highlighted the priority of “just peace” over “just war” within the CEC fellowship and perspectives within ecumenical discourse that prioritise non-military means to preserve peace, grounded in the Christian call to healing and reconciliation. She emphasised “Our foundational mission is the restoration of peace and justice through non-violent means. Yet, recent experiences, such as the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, have confronted churches with hard questions about the potential necessity of force to uphold human dignity and international law.”
Pekridou noted an emerging division within the ecumenical community regarding the use of military force in certain critical contexts. While traditionally oriented towards pacifism and even non-violence, some churches are now reflecting on the permissible conditions for military action as a means of last resort to protect civilians under severe threat.
“The suffering caused by the war in Ukraine has led some to re-examine the right of people to live free from external interference, alongside the moral responsibility of the international community to act in the face of aggression,” said Pekridou. “Both just war advocates and pacifists are ultimately driven by the shared goal of securing justice, even if they differ in approach.”
In keeping with its commitment to just peace, CEC continues to champion dialogue and shared action among churches, strengthening Pathways to Peace through ecumenical collaboration. As part of this dedication, CEC will host a European consultation on just peace from 9 to 11 December 2024 in Warsaw, engaging churches across Europe in further dialogue on pathways to lasting peace.