Peace begins where the Flame Cross flag flies
"Peace begins with me” is the motto of this year’s annual campaign of the German Caritas Association. The dimension of the individual in this sentence is clear - each of us can contribute to peace through our actions. Mirror stickers encourage real peacebuilding - countering feelings of powerlessness and indifference. They are found stuck to mirrors in our facilities and service centres, where the work done builds peace in many ways, providing safe spaces, enabling reconciliation and supporting people in exercising their rights.
But how can peace begin in Ukraine, whose population has been suffering for more than two years as a result of the Russian war of aggression? And what is our contribution to ending the horror of war? Pope Francis’ statements regarding the white flag, which was supposed to be flown in Ukraine, implied that it was possible to achieve peace again in Ukraine if the country were to lay down its arms.
The question as to how war and violence should be handled leads to an ethical dilemma which is affecting many people at the moment: Is supplying weapons to a war zone consistent with the Christian precept of peace? Won’t this prolong people’s suffering? On the other hand: is it permissible to deny aid to the victims of war? Against a brutal aggressor, it is incumbent upon humanity to support those attacked in their self-defence efforts. Peace can only ensue if it is desired by all: where people are subject to violence and cruelty, where even the right to live is called into question, (self-)defence is the only way to fend off direct aggression. Only then can law and justice be restored.
Peace must - following war and violence - be a just peace, encompassing far more than the absence of acts of war; it must be a long-term peace and not just a ceasefire or even a unilateral surrender.
The people in Ukraine will continue to be able to depend on our solidarity and the efforts of our colleagues on the ground. This is where peace begins, in the small things. Peace begins where the Flame Cross flag flies. Be it in the many kindergartens where Caritas Ukraine provides a safe haven for children traumatised by war, or those providing mobile care services, often risking their lives to assist the elderly and infirm along the frontline. Each of the Caritas aid initiatives in Ukraine, which have already reached more than three million people, embodies solidarity in action and keeps its sights set on the horizon of peace, even if the way there it is not yet visible.