Fr Anthony's blog: 'Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war'

‘Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war’ said Winston Churchill. Anyone who has had even cursory contact with people involved in violent conflict would agree with this wholeheartedly. The world often forgets the fact that in war there are no winners, for all are losers.

I was recently invited to Kyiv; the Missio National Director of Ukraine took me to Bucha, not very far from the capital city, where hundreds of civilians of all ages were massacred by the Russian military during the most recent invasion of Ukraine.

For those who survived this horrific ordeal, the task is now both to honour the dead and rebuild the lives of the living survivors. At the heart of this process is the church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which has become a symbol of what is needed for peace to break through.

The parish priest was very positive about the future and saw his ministry as one of healing the wounds of broken humanity and rebuilding Christian community with Jesus Christ at its centre.

The Church Universal is committed to confronting violent conflict in ways that must echo The Way – which is Jesus, his words and deeds. He taught us to ‘turn the other cheek’, to love those who do not love us, to forgive without limits and never to meet violence with violence.

These high ideals, as with much of the teaching of Jesus, are extremely challenging for most of us, but they provide a way for the future happiness and security of humanity, especially in these threatening times.

How do we confront those leaders who have led us into war and violent conflicts across the world? I do not have all the answers to that question, but I do know that dialogue, openness, understanding, compassion, tolerance and listening deeply to the other is the only way forward, step by painful step.

And for those who refuse to enter into meaningful dialogue, we continue to reach out to them, sometimes at our peril.

A Pope who speaks for us all

There is one voice on the global stage that speaks against war and about peace on earth with justice. The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, speaks for one fifth of the world’s population and with the support (of many times that!) across the world. He is not a party-political leader, nor a power-hungry dictator. He is not interested in opinion polls and he does not have to compromise in order to keep his job!

As head of the Catholic Church, it is his joy to proclaim the Truths of our Catholic faith, which are all rooted in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks with the authority invested in him by God and the Church.

True to one of his official titles summus pontifex, literally ‘supreme bridge-builder’, in word and deed he tries hard to bring people together, always conscious of God’s passion for a world healed of all hatred and division.

In his first greeting after being elected Pope, the Holy Father spoke of the quality of peace we all dream of building, ‘It is the peace of the Risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.’

Speaking to religious leaders last year he exclaimed, ‘Enough of war, with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile!’

God can never be used to justify or support war

Pope Leo has been equally clear in condemning any attempt to enlist God in the cause of violence. In his Palm Sunday homily this year, he said: ‘Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood’ (Isaiah 1:15).’

A fortnight earlier, preaching on Laetare Sunday in a parish on the outskirts of Rome, he warned, ‘Some even go so far as to invoke God’s name in these choices of death, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness. Rather, he always comes to bring light, hope and peace to humanity, and it is peace that must be sought by those who call upon him.’

Pope Leo - Vatican News — (c) Vatican News

On 8 May last year, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope and chose for himself the name Pope Leo XIV. He is an experienced missionary, as humble as he is clever, with a clear vision of bringing humanity together in all its wonderful diversity alongside his proclamation of the coming of God’s Kingdom.

In order to achieve this, he will speak out against all who seek to divide humanity for their own sake; he will condemn all forms of violence; and he will encourage people to ‘jaw, jaw’, which crucially involves listening patiently and with compassion to others’ fears and concerns.

I have had the privilege of meeting the Holy Father on several occasions in my capacity as National Director of Missio. His ability to listen attentively, alongside many other gifts he possesses, marks him out as a true bridge-builder. We give thanks to God for sending us this great bridge-builder, and we pray for him that he may continue to proclaim from the housetops the Truths of our Faith, which are bathed in God’s unconditional love of us all.

Prayer for Pope Leo XIV as a Peacemaker

Lord God of peace,
you sent your Son to break down the walls of hostility
and to reconcile all things in himself.
Pour out your Spirit upon Pope Leo XIV:
give him wisdom to speak the truth with charity,
courage to defend the weak,
and patience to listen to those who fear and distrust.
Strengthen his hands to build bridges between peoples,
and turn the hearts of the world’s leaders from hatred and violence
to justice and dialogue.
May his ministry of leadership help your Church to be an instrument of reconciliation,
so that wars may cease and your peace may take root in every nation.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.