WHAT is this peace that we all seek and hope for? For people of faith, it is a sense of inner tranquillity and calm, knowing we have an anchor in God who is beyond our anxieties.

This God also leads us to reconciliation as we try to resolve personal and community conflicts. But what does it practically mean to be a peacemaker following Jesus, the Prince of Peace, in a world where injustice, oppression and violence seem to be more prevalent every day?

For Christians, being a peacemaker means seeking non-violent solutions to situations of conflict. Of course, these are never simple; each armed confrontation, even when ended, sows the seeds for the next dispute through a sense of injustice and resentment. Quite simply one act of violence gives rise to the next in an escalating spiral.

Many churches condemn the possession, as well as the use, of nuclear weapons, and Pope Leo has called upon young people in particular “to announce a message of true hope and to promote peace”.

Quakers (Society of Friends) have consistently led action in making peace, witnessing and working for a world free from violence and injustice, being a positive and active force that can transform individuals and societies.

What can we do and how can we challenge the preparations for war which will only make war more likely?

Pope Leo reminds us, “If you want peace, prepare institutions of peace… fraternity must be recovered, loved, experienced, proclaimed and witnessed”.

So, whether we sign petitions, write to our MPs, join organisations that work for peace, volunteer, demonstrate, donate or wear a white poppy, as Christians we follow the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God”. Peace is the only way.

Kathy Pope

Co-ordinator

Churches Together in Cornwall