Christianity s Missing Peace: Pope Francis, Gospel Nonviolence, and the Renewal of the Irish Church

For the past approximately seventeen hundred years, Christians have been taught that the use of violence against their fellow humans can be justified in certain circumstances. This loophole of the so called "Just War" theory has seen Christians employ lethal violence against their enemies resulting in unquantifiable instances of murder and mayhem. Today, Christians are still slaughtering their fellow Christians and others on the battlefield while millions more earn a living from sustaining the lucrative war machine. Is it too obvious to state that this is a far cry from what Jesus taught his followers as the way of discipleship in the Gospels? Pope Francis made the promotion of gospel nonviolence one of the central themes of his papacy. In doing so he showed leadership that can inspire church leaders throughout the world to return to gospel nonviolence as the central ethic for leading lives in conformity with the teachings of Jesus. Given its unique history, it is an opportune moment in time for the Irish Church to renew itself with gospel nonviolence and be a beacon for its sister churches throughout the world.