In his message for the 50th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis preaches on the merits of nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. He wishes that charity and nonviolence would govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. Nonviolence, he adds, is a viable option in politics because “When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promotors of nonviolent peacemaking.” As shown time and time again, violence and retaliation cannot provide a lasting solution to hate and injustice; on the contrary it merely compounds the problem. A man bent on seeking revenge for a real or imagined injustice will not find peace in his heart but will only end up in misery.
Judaism subscribes to the principle of Lex Talionis, or the law of retaliation best described by the phrase “an eye for an eye.” Thus the Torah or in Christianity the Pentateuch (the First Five Books of the Old Testament) discusses the concept of justice as measure-for-measure retribution. As an example, the Book of Leviticus directs that a man guilty of injuring another would be punished by receiving the same injury to himself. If the injury is to property, the man must replace the damaged item or animal. But even then in general Judaism is a religion of peace and love for the Father and to one another. Christianity however brought this love to a different level when Jesus Christ commanded his followers to love not only one another but even their enemies. Thus rather than returning the evil done to us, Christians should return good instead. Luke’s account shows that this is the first application of the concept of loving your enemies. You treat people as you want people to treat you. Jesus marked out the path of nonviolence. He walked that path to the very end, to the cross, whereby he became our peace and put an end to hostility. Even Islam as a religion, for all its disrepute, does not condone revenge, contrary to what most people believe.
One popular Islamic adage goes this way: “If you have a choice between revenge and forgiveness, choose forgiveness. The sweetness that follows cannot be replaced by a thousand revenges.”
Invariably, all major religions teach peace, love and non-violence. As Francis points out, the legacy of nonviolence is not of the Catholic Church alone. It is typical of many religious traditions, for which “compassion and nonviolence are essential elements pointing to the way of life.” He emphatically reaffirms that “no religion is terrorist.” Violence profanes the name of God. Let us never tire of repeating: “The name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone is holy. Peace alone is holy, not war!”
Sadly, man has the penchant for ingratiating his baser instincts and impulses such as hate, intolerance and violence. He mistakenly believes that it is the easiest and most convenient way to satisfy his yearnings, ambitions or even greed because of some political, religious or economic agenda. This is the reason why society often more readily chooses violence over peace, hatred over intolerance. Often, we conveniently overlook the fact that peace is always not the inferior, but in fact the better, option.
Much like many nations now being plagued by the scourge of wars, terrorism, endless violence and strife, we are also experiencing our own measure of violence in all its forms, from crimes to insurgency. One persistent problem is the peace and order situation in Mindanao as a result of the Communist and Bangsamoro rebellions. The armed struggle of the CPP-NPA is touted as Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency. Since its establishment, the Communist guerillas have believed that the armed revolution is the only solution to replace what it considers the current oppressive system. For its part, the Bangsamoro has engaged a protracted armed struggle against the state in order to achieve its own concept of self-determination and to address perceived historical injustice. Decades of armed violence, interrupted only intermittently, and countless casualties later, the problem has yet to find a lasting solution. Notwithstanding his controversial pronouncements and policy directives, I am one with President Duterte in his initiatives to end the Communist and Muslim rebellion in the South. To date, the indefinite truce with these armed groups is holding. I believe the time to end these wars is most conducive and opportune. Barring unforeseen glitches, this government at no other time is in the position to reach a negotiated settlement.
Peace and non-violence are not only a viable option. They are, in fact, the only option. It cannot be denied that progress cannot co-exist with disorder and violence. If there is to be progress and development in the country, especially in Mindanao, violence must be proscribed and rejected by all armed groups.
To end, it is best to quote a message of Blessed Pope Paul VI on peace and nonviolence. He said: “Peace is the only true direction of human progress—and not the tensions caused by ambitious nationalisms, nor conquests by violence, nor repressions which serve as mainstay for a false civil order.” He warned of “the danger of believing that international controversies cannot be resolved by the ways of reason, that is, by negotiations founded on law, justice, and equity, but only by means of deterrent and murderous forces.” Instead, citing the encyclical Pacem in Terris of his predecessor Saint John XXIII, he extolled “the sense and love of peace founded upon truth, justice, freedom and love.” More than ever, these words have not lost their significance and meaning, on the contrary they have taken more urgency given present day realities.
Later this month, the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, represented by able and sincere negotiators, motivated by good will and patriotism, will meet in Rome, Italy to advance the peace process to end an armed conflict that is nearly five decades long. My prayer is that the protagonists, aided by mediators from the Norwegian government, agree on a bilateral ceasefire that will in turn lead to the release of all political prisoners.
I also hope that progress will be made in the negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms so that it can be concluded soonest, thus paving the way for a final and permanent political settlement. When all of these happen, and especially if the excesses of the war against drugs are halted, nonviolence will then ground peace. And then ours would be a better country.
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