Pope Francis claimed, “Whoever accepts the Good News of Jesus is able to acknowledge the violence within and be healed by God’s mercy, becoming in turn an instrument of reconciliation.” (50th World Day of Peace, para. 3).
We want to encourage our bishops to embrace Pope Francis’ call to active nonviolence. We want to support our bishops in their efforts, like Pope Francis, who pledged the assistance of the church in “every effort to build peace through active and creative nonviolence.”
A Call to Prayer, Study, and Action
1) Write your bishop, using this sample letter to call for a greater commitment to active nonviolence.
2) We are asking each bishop in the United States of America to affirm active nonviolence as a core Christian principle by:
a. Sharing and speaking about Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace message broadly within their diocese.
b. Concretely committing to an initiative to increase practices of active nonviolence.
Individual hard copy letters mailed directly to the bishop are more powerful than form letters, emails, or one letter signed by many. (Let us know you sent a letter by filling out this brief form here .)
We believe a concerted effort during the month of May will have a positive impact on our bishops and US church. May is traditionally “Mary’s month” and Mary is the “Queen of Peace.” The bishops themselves will be meeting over the summer, and I invite and urge you to join in this national campaign to amplify active nonviolence in the US Catholic Church.
Cover Letter from Sr. Patricia Chappell
Sample Letter to US Bishops