But God is only the God of peace

The wish of the director of AsiaNews for this Easter marked by war: "I asked myself what is the Christian's way of facing this conflict, like any other. We are succeeding in the primacy of welcoming Ukrainian refugees, but perhaps not that of praying for peace. May this Easter be, in spite of everything, an Easter of peace for the whole world".

Dear friends of AsiaNews, in recent weeks we have had fixed in our eyes the images of destruction in Ukrainian cities, of the population fleeing without knowing where to escape the destructive fury that is devastating their country. We carry in our hearts the heartfelt words of Pope Francis who cries out: "In the name of God I ask you: stop this massacre!".

In this Europe where we dared to think that weapons would never again be heard, we feel in our lvery bones the fear of a conflict that is all too close to home. But as we report every day through our news agency, this conflict also has profound repercussions in Asia and other continents. 

War is knocking at our door. A war that, like any other, is incomprehensible to us, its reasons escaping our reasoning. And yet we are faced with a threat that threatens to overwhelm decades of dialogue and peace that have allowed several generations to say: "We have never known armed conflict".

We have heard the words of Patriarch Kirill echoed, invoking the justness of this conflict against the Western enemy that would threaten the Christian integrity of the Russian world. A clumsy attempt to justify the war as if it were a lesser evil in favour of the greater good that would be the preservation of Christianity. Yet the words of Jesus were clear: 'render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's'.

Many times I have asked myself what is the Christian's way of dealing with this conflict, as with any other. I believe the only way is to keep these words of Jesus in our hearts. A war can never have a justification with an evangelical flavour. It is Caesar's responsibility, his decision, his action, his responsibility.

God stands before violence with the rosary in His hand and with actions of peace, always saying no to war. In one of his Angelus in recent weeks the Pope said: "I ask all diocesan and religious communities to increase moments of prayer for peace. God is only the God of peace, he is not the God of war, and those who support violence profane his name".

This is how Christians stand in the face of war, of all the wars in the world. He raises the voice of prayer, he fills the squares praying. In Italy we are winning the primacy of welcoming Ukrainian refugees, but perhaps not that of praying for peace. I see too much lukewarmness about this. May this Easter be, in spite of everything, an Easter of peace for the whole world and for all of us. Happy Easter 

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