As members of the Vincentian Family we have become accustomed to using terms such as Advocacy, Aporophobia, Homelessness, Collaboration, Systemic Change, etc., to describe either situations that we encounter in our work/ministry or actions that we carry out. To deepen our understanding of these concepts from the perspective of our charism, we have developed this series of posts, entitled a “Vincentian Dictionary”, with the aim of offering each week an explanation of the various words/phrases from a social, moral, Christian and Vincentian perspective. Inspired by the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, we hope to deepen our understanding and reflect on service, social justice and love of neighbor. At the end of each article you will find some ideas for personal reflection and/or group dialogue.

Follow the complete thread of this Vincentian dictionary at this link.

17. Postmodern Violence and the Church’s Prophetic Witness

The 21st century has inherited a world marked by the legacy of modern violence — but also transformed by globalization, digital revolutions, mass migration, ecological crisis, and cultural fragmentation. This era, often described as postmodern, presents new forms of violence: more diffuse, more psychological, more structural, and often hidden beneath the surface of supposed progress.

In this context, the Church is called to a prophetic mission: not only to denounce violence in all its forms, but to model an alternative — a culture of encounter, fraternity, and peace rooted in the Gospel.

17.1 The Shifting Landscape of Violence

a) Fragmentation and the Crisis of Meaning

Postmodernity is marked by:

• Skepticism toward meta-narratives (e.g., religion, ideology, truth).
• Relativism in moral and cultural norms.
• A growing isolation of the individual amid hyperconnectivity.
• Digital disembodiment and the commodification of human experience.

This has led to an existential crisis of meaning, particularly among youth. In this vacuum, new forms of violence emerge:

• Self-directed violence (e.g., suicide, addiction, despair).
• Alienation and the rise of tribalism, extremism, and nihilism.
• A culture that often celebrates aggression, sarcasm, and indifference.

The Church recognizes that spiritual emptiness and a loss of transcendence are themselves breeding grounds for violence.

b) Structural and Invisible Violence

Inspired by thinkers like Johann Galtung, the Church increasingly identifies structural violence — the harm caused by unjust systems — as a key moral concern:

• Poverty, inequality, hunger, and exclusion are not natural but engineered.
• Racism, xenophobia, and sexism are embedded in laws, media, and institutions.
• Environmental degradation disproportionately affects the poor and future generations.

Pope Francis describes this in Evangelii Gaudium as a “throwaway culture” that discards human beings not deemed useful — a profound form of moral and spiritual violence.

17.2 New Frontiers of Christian Witness

a) A Preferential Option for Nonviolence

In recent decades, the Church has moved beyond tolerating war as a tragic necessity. It is increasingly embracing active, evangelical nonviolence as the norm of Christian life:

• The 2016 Vatican Conference on Nonviolence, co-sponsored by Pax Christi, called for the Church to abandon just war theory in favor of a “just peace” ethic.
• Pope Francis, in Fratelli Tutti, writes: “We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits… Never again war!”—FT 258.

This represents a paradigm shift: not merely opposing certain wars, but embracing peacemaking as intrinsic to the identity of the Church.

b) Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Practice

Across the globe, Catholics are engaged in:

• Mediation in civil conflicts (e.g., Colombia, South Sudan, Central African Republic).
• Restorative justice initiatives in prisons and communities.
• Trauma healing for victims of war, abuse, and domestic violence.
• Interreligious peacebuilding, especially in zones of tension between Christians and Muslims.

The Church’s credibility often comes not from political power but from her presence among the suffering. In this witness, her moral authority is strongest.

17.3 The Church’s Voice in a Globalized, Violent World

a) Migration and Hospitality

Violence drives millions from their homes each year. The Church sees in the migrant:

• A victim of violence (war, trafficking, persecution).
• A revelation of Christ (“I was a stranger and you welcomed me” — Mt 25:35).
• A call to solidarity and conversion for nations and communities.

Pope Francis has made this a cornerstone of his pontificate, calling the Church to build a “culture of welcome” and resist the violence of borders, bureaucracy, and indifference.

b) Ecological Violence

In Laudato Si’, the Church names ecological degradation as a form of violence:

• Against the poor, who suffer first and most.
• Against future generations.
• Against God’s creation, entrusted to human stewardship.

The Pope connects environmental and social justice, calling for integral ecology — a harmony between humanity, nature, and God.

This prophetic voice denounces not only overt wars but the slow violence of climate collapse, consumerism, and exploitation.

c) Digital Culture and the Virtual Battlefield

The digital world presents new terrains of violence:

• Cyberbullying, radicalization, misinformation, and dehumanization.
• Algorithms that amplify division and outrage.
• Virtual platforms that disconnect us from real community.

The Church is beginning to articulate a theology of digital communication:

• Calling for truth, dialogue, and presence in online spaces.
• Encouraging digital solidarity, rather than surveillance or manipulation.

Faith communities must learn to incarnate the Gospel in digital form, resisting the alienation that breeds resentment and violence.

17.4 A Prophetic Church: From Denunciation to Transformation

a) The Church as Field Hospital

Francis described the Church not as a fortress but a field hospital after battle. This model:

• Focuses not on judging but healing wounds.
• Prioritizes those on the margins, who bear the brunt of violence.
• Offers mercy before condemnation, relationship before doctrine.

This ecclesiology calls every Christian to proximity with the broken, not safety from them.

b) Saints of Nonviolence

Modern witnesses of gospel peace — many martyred — inspire the Church today:

• Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, assassinated for defending the poor.
• Franz Jägerstätter, Austrian farmer who refused to fight for Hitler.
• Sister Dorothy Stang, murdered for defending the Amazon and its people.

These lives reflect a radical fidelity to Christ, not by violence but by creative, courageous love.

c) Synodality and Dialogue as Paths of Peace

Francis’s emphasis on synodality — walking together — was not merely ecclesial reform. It is also a spiritual strategy against violence:

• Listening over domination.
• Dialogue over polarization.
• Communion over tribalism.

This spirit must permeate not only Church structures but Catholic engagement with the world.

17.5 Disarming the Heart, Healing the World

Postmodern violence is complex, often subtle, and deeply rooted in spiritual malaise. But the Gospel remains clear: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9). The Church is called not only to reject war and injustice, but to model another way of being human — one marked by mercy, community, and hope.

In a fragmented world, the Church must:

• Speak truth to power.
• Defend the dignity of every person.
• Create spaces of reconciliation, healing, and encounter.
• Bear witness — even unto death — to the nonviolent love of Jesus Christ.

To be prophetic in this age means to refuse the logic of violence in all its forms, and to embody the peace of God in flesh and blood.

18. The Vincentian Way: Charity and Nonviolence in the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul

“Love is inventive to infinity.”
— St. Vincent de Paul

While the Catholic Church offers a universal message of peace and reconciliation, certain spiritual traditions within the Church embody this message in unique and powerful ways. One such tradition is the Vincentian Charism, rooted in the life and legacy of St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660). Often associated with works of charity and service to the poor, the Vincentian way also contains a profound ethic of nonviolence — one that is practical, relational, systemic, and deeply rooted in the Gospel.

18.1 St. Vincent de Paul: From Conversion to Compassion

a) A Personal Transformation

Vincent’s early life was marked by ambition and desire for social advancement. However, through a series of profound spiritual experiences — particularly his encounters with the rural poor, abandoned children, galley slaves, and sick peasants — he underwent a radical conversion. He came to see Christ in the person of the poor and committed his life to serving them with both material aid and systemic reform.

His vision was not sentimental but practical and incarnational:

• He founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity to institutionalize service to the marginalized.
• He formed networks of lay and religious collaborators to organize relief, promote education, and humanize social systems.
• He intervened in political, ecclesial, and economic structures to denounce abuses, advocate for the poor, and defend the dignity of the oppressed.

In this, Vincent practiced a nonviolent resistance to indifference and injustice, rooted not in ideology but in Christian love.

18.2 Nonviolence as Love in Action

a) Confronting Poverty as Violence

Long before the Church named poverty as structural violence, Vincent intuited that exclusion, hunger, and abandonment were not misfortunes to be pitied but injustices to be confronted.

He did not fight violence with force. Instead, he cultivated:

• Communities of care as an antidote to loneliness and neglect.
• Formation of conscience among elites and priests to awaken compassion and responsibility.
• Inventive charity that addressed not only symptoms but causes.

Vincent taught that violence begins where love is absent, and therefore Christian love must be strategic, organized, and courageous.

b) Humility and Meekness as Active Virtues

Vincentian spirituality emphasizes meekness, gentleness, and humility — not as passivity, but as the foundation for effective action:

• Humility grounds the servant in reality, not ego or ideology.
• Meekness resists the temptation to dominate, manipulate, or retaliate.
• Charity acts through dialogue, patience, and presence, disarming hostility through relational strength.

These virtues mirror the nonviolence of Christ and empower the Vincentian to act firmly but peacefully in the face of injustice.

18.3 Systemic Change and Peacebuilding

a) Toward Structural Transformation

Modern Vincentians have taken St. Vincent’s legacy further by embracing systemic change as a central tenet of the charism. This involves:

• Addressing root causes of poverty and marginalization.
• Empowering the poor as agents of their own liberation.
• Engaging in advocacy, education, and coalition-building for social transformation.

Violence is not merely interpersonal; it is embedded in systems. The Vincentian Family, therefore, sees its mission as dismantling unjust structures through peaceful but prophetic action.

b) Collaboration as Peace Strategy

Vincent was a master of collaboration across social classes, political lines, and ecclesial boundaries. Today, Vincentians:

• Build global networks for service and advocacy.
• Work in ecumenical and interreligious partnerships for justice and peace.
• Form interdisciplinary teams (lawyers, educators, social workers, theologians) to respond to complex human needs.

Such collaboration counters the violence of division and models unity in diversity, rooted in shared concern for the poor.

18.4 Vincentian Spirituality in Violent Contexts

a) Ministry in Zones of Conflict

Vincentians are present in some of the world’s most violent contexts:

• War-torn regions of Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
• Gang-dominated urban slums.
• Refugee camps and detention centers.
• Prisons and shelters for victims of human trafficking.

Rather than flee these places, Vincentians enter them as signs of hope, providing not only aid but listening, healing, and advocacy.

b) Accompaniment and Reconciliation

Following the example of St. Louise de Marillac, Bl. Rosalie Rendu, and Bl. Frédéric Ozanam, an many other saints and blessed of the Vincentian Family, Vincentians engage in:

• Accompaniment of those who suffer trauma and exclusion.
• Restorative practices that seek to heal social and interpersonal wounds.
• Educational work that empowers young people to become peacemakers in their communities.

This ministry is not merely humanitarian — it is evangelical, revealing the face of Christ through concrete, loving service.

18.5 The Vincentian Call to Prophetic Peace

a) The Poor as Prophets of Peace

Vincentian thinking holds that the poor are not only recipients of charity, but bearers of God’s message. Their suffering:

• Reveals the violence of the world.
• Demands a moral response from the Church.
• Calls forth new models of justice and community.

Listening to the poor becomes an act of nonviolent resistance to a world that silences them.

b) A Charism for the Church Today

In a time of global fragmentation and rising violence, the Vincentian Charism offers:

• A contemplative praxis, grounded in Christ and the poor.
• A spirituality of humility, nonviolence, and creative charity.
• A model of systemic engagement, rooted in the Gospel and the dignity of every human person.

It calls the Church to become what it proclaims: a sign of peace, a servant of the poor, a witness to God’s love.

18.6 Charity That Disarms

St. Vincent once said that we must love God, but let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows. For Vincentians, love is never abstract. It is incarnated in the works of mercy, justice, and nonviolence.

In a world torn by violence, the Vincentian Way offers an alternative:

• Not confrontation, but compassion.
• Not domination, but dialogue.
• Not resignation, but hope grounded in action.

This is not a peripheral mission of the Church, but its very heart. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Peace is not just the absence of war, but the tireless commitment to recognize, protect, and restore the dignity of our brothers and sisters.” The Vincentian Family stands as a living witness to this vision — a peaceful revolution of love in the name of Jesus Christ.

19. Toward a Catholic Theology of Nonviolence

Throughout history, the Catholic Church has wrestled with the tension between the ideal of Gospel peace and the reality of human violence. From early martyrdom and pacifism to just war theory and contemporary calls for active peacemaking, the Church’s teachings have evolved to meet the demands of changing contexts. A constructive theological synthesis is proposed: a Catholic theology of nonviolence grounded in Scripture, tradition, and the lived witness of the Church in today’s world. Nonviolence is not presented merely as a strategy or personal virtue, but as a fundamental aspect of Christian discipleship—a reflection of God’s Trinitarian love and a pathway to genuine justice and reconciliation.

19.1 Nonviolence as the Heart of the Gospel

a) Jesus: The Nonviolent Messiah

At the center of any Catholic theology of nonviolence must be the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals a God who:

• Refuses domination, even in the face of death.
• Embraces the cross as the ultimate sign of redemptive suffering.
• Calls his followers to love enemies, pray for persecutors, and overcome evil with good (cf. Mt 5:38–48; Lk 6:27–36).

Jesus’ nonviolence is not passivity, but a divine strength that refuses to mirror the violence of the world. His life is the model and measure of Christian nonviolence.

b) The Cross and the Empty Tomb

The crucifixion reveals the extent to which God suffers violence with us, while the resurrection proclaims that violence does not have the final word. A theology of nonviolence therefore affirms:

• The redemptive power of self-giving love.
• The defeat of death and oppression through divine mercy.
• The Church’s mission to embody resurrection hope in the midst of suffering.

In this light, nonviolence becomes a sacramental posture: a visible sign of invisible grace in a world bent on destruction.

19.2 Theological Foundations of Nonviolence

a) Trinitarian Love and Nonviolence

God is not solitary power, but eternal communion: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinitarian theology teaches that:

• God’s essence is relational love, not domination.
• Creation itself flows from nonviolent abundance and gratuitous self-gift.
• Redemption unfolds through kenosis (self-emptying), not conquest.

A Catholic theology of nonviolence finds its source in this Trinitarian dynamism, inviting us to mirror the divine pattern of mutuality, reconciliation, and peace.

b) The Human Person and the Imago Dei

Catholic anthropology affirms that every human being is created in the image of God (cf. Gen 1:27), endowed with dignity, freedom, and responsibility. Violence deforms this image; nonviolence restores it.

Key affirmations include:

• The inviolable dignity of every person, regardless of status or guilt.
• The need for structures and systems that safeguard human flourishing.
• The call to solidarity, recognizing that we are all responsible for one another.

Thus, nonviolence is not merely about avoiding harm — it is about actively promoting life, dignity, and communion.

19.3 Ecclesial Dimensions of Nonviolence

a) The Church as a Community of Peace

The Church is not only a teacher of peace; it is called to be a sacrament of peace in the world. This involves:

• Forming communities that practice reconciliation, not revenge.
• Resisting the idolatries of nationalism, militarism, and consumerism.
• Embracing a missionary vocation to be salt, light, and leaven for peace.

Pope Francis has repeatedly called the Church to be a field hospital in the midst of violence, healing wounds and building bridges.

b) Sacraments and Nonviolence

The sacraments form the believer in a spirituality of nonviolence:

• Baptism initiates us into a new humanity marked by peace.
• The Eucharist teaches mutual self-gift, not domination.
• Reconciliation heals relationships and affirms mercy over punishment.

In this way, Catholic nonviolence is deeply sacramental — expressed not only in words, but in concrete ritual, community, and commitment.

19.4 Ethical and Moral Commitments

a) From Just War to Just Peace

While the Church has long developed just war principles, the conditions for such wars are increasingly unattainable. In contrast, the emerging Just Peace framework emphasizes:

• Prevention of violence through diplomacy, justice, and development.
• Nonviolent conflict transformation and restorative justice.
• A preference for peacebuilding as primary, not reactive warfare.

This shift is not abandonment of tradition but a development in moral reasoning, aligned with the Church’s deeper understanding of the Gospel.

b) Active Nonviolence and the Virtue of Courage

Catholic nonviolence is active, not passive. It requires:

• The courage to speak truth to power without hatred.
• The discipline to absorb suffering without retaliating.
• The imagination to build alternatives to cycles of violence.

“Peace is a universal value and duty, an objective of social coexistence. Therefore, we cannot simply reduce it to the absence of war or even a stable balance between opposing forces. Rather, the deeper nature of peace is based on a correct conception of the human person and requires the construction of an order in accordance with justice and charity. So the peace we truly desire is not based on weapons deterrence.”—Message of peace from the Holy See, transmitted by the Secretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Paul Gallagher, on the occasion of the III Mafra Dialogues, April 28, 2023.

19.5 Nonviolence as Missionary Imperative

Proclaiming the Gospel means proclaiming the peace of Christ. A Catholic theology of nonviolence frames evangelization not as conquest, but as:

• Witness to the reconciling love of God.
• Hospitality toward the stranger and the enemy.
• Transformation of hearts and cultures through mercy and justice.

Nonviolence becomes a missionary language, capable of crossing boundaries and building common ground.

19.6 Building the Civilization of Love

A Catholic theology of nonviolence is not a retreat from the world but a call to conversion, both personal and ecclesial. It challenges us to:

• Reject every form of violence as incompatible with the Gospel.
• Cultivate peace at every level: spiritual, interpersonal, social, political.
• Become credible signs of God’s nonviolent love in a broken world.

In the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace, work for justice.” And in the spirit of Christ crucified and risen, we proclaim: “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:21).

(To be continued…)