Proti válce - Odvaha budovat mír – Papež František (2023)

The head of the Catholic Church reflects in the book on the deeper motives of wars and their impact on humanity. The Pope's "no to war" is as radical and resolute as the "no" of his predecessors, and it is not motivated by political or diplomatic calculations or self-interested attitudes. In the book, he reflects on the suffering of the victims in Ukraine, looks into the faces of those who suffered from the war in Iraq, speaks about historical events in Hiroshima, and the unheard-of legacy of the two world wars of the 20th century. Francis straightforwardly points to the motives behind wars and the blood that colors our planet: the greed for power, international relations based on military strength, and the ostentation of war arsenals. He rejects conflicts that sow death, destruction, and hatred, as they bring only death and destruction in a spiral that can only be ended by a change of hearts. Politics as the art of dialogue, the demanding construction of peace that comes from the heart and spreads throughout the world, the ban on nuclear weapons, and disarmament as a strategic choice are concrete indicators that Francis entrusts to us so that the building of peace truly becomes a common horizon on which we can build our future. Because nothing truly human can arise from war.