Focolare Movement

“War is wide-scale murder”

Dec 31, 2012

Some thoughts from Igino Giordani’s book, ’The Futility of War’

“War is wide-scale murder”.

“Just as the plague spreads the plague, and hunger can lead to starvation, so does war serve to kill”.

“If you want peace, prepare for it”.

“Only crazy people, or the incurable wish for death, and war is death”.

“I believe no head of State has ever admitted he was waging war for motives of plunder; everyone held that it was being fought for the most noble of reasons, for altruistic and idealistic purposes, of course. And – just to show how childish hatred can get – greed is a characteristic of the enemy while a friend shows idealism”.

“Enemies are to be loved: if only the politics of charity were to take root, we would discover that it coincides with the most enlightened rationality and, in the economic and social sense, it would prove to be a real bargain”.

“For Christians to be worthy of being called ‘children of God’ they have to work for peace”.

“We must organize peace as others have organized war”.

“The work of building peace starts from you and from me”.

Igino Giordani, L’inutilità della guerra, published by  Città Nuova, Roma 2003

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

“One humanity, one planet: synodal leadership”

“One humanity, one planet: synodal leadership”

From 26 January to 1 February 2026, Rome will welcome 100 young political leaders for the conclusion of the first year of the “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership” programme. The challenge is to explore a different style of governance starting from the paradigm of fraternity.

Chiara Lubich: humanity as one family

Chiara Lubich: humanity as one family

January 22 marks the anniversary of the birth of Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement. Today we share a short excerpt from a speech she delivered in Innsbruck (Austria) on November 9, 2001, during the “A Thousand Cities for Europe” Congress, dedicated to the theme of universal fraternity, understood also as a political category.

The Gospel that places “the other” at the center

The Gospel that places “the other” at the center

On the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, this is an experience that speaks of the joy of living love and unity in diversity. It is a journey of listening and welcome, helping us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters.