Each one of us is living as a baptised person in a network of multiple communities. One of these communities is Pax Romana. Within this community it is possible to recognize some characteristics central to our way of seeing the world, to analyse them, and to build together a way of being. In a deeper sense, it is possible to find reference points, central to our way of being Christian, of building the Church.

Let’s take as a starting point our fragile existence. There is such a large gap between Pax Romana’s strengths and the world we dream of, that the fragile nature of Pax Romana’s continued existence could be seen as a source of freedom. We have a long history, beginning in 1921 and developing further in 1947. Our history includes both great and small gestures of  faithfulness, research and imagination, as well as moments of tension. We have to reach out with our ears and eyes to see injustice, violence and poverty, but also to appreciate the many initatives being taken to achieve solidarity and peace building.

In our academic, professional and practical work, and in our presence in political spaces, we express our pastoral commitment through intellectual engagement. Pax Romana’s means are limited and its organization is simple, yet we continue to seek and find common points of interest points.

We are called to remember our spiritual journey. We have been, and continue to be witnesses  to the way in which faith and church orient, enlighten and support persons and the families. We believe that God put us in this world, and constantly connects us one with one another.

We cannot become complacent with this world. The prophets are both a comfort and a call to action. We just have celebrated the centenary of Dom Helder Camara’s birth. Dom Helder was an Archbishop in Olinda-Recife (Brazil), whose message and person was so free, so evangelical, so inspired by God. Rooted by a deep faith, Dom Helder spook to the poor and rich alike about poverty and its causes. As Luiz Gomez de Sousa writes, he was truly a “brother of the poor”. Luiz Gomez de Sousa’s artice is available from the Pax Romana secretariat.

In a couple of months, it will already be two years since our Nairobi assembly. It will be time for our International Council. The federations, the regional coordination, the council and the international team are all called to take care of our relationships, our work, our community life and of the life of our local Churches. The time of Easter is a good opportunity to live in the light of the Risen Christ.

Luis Maria Giocoechea
International Chaplain.