“Unity Prevails Over Conflict” (Pope Francis)

This is the second formula for peace in nos. 226-230 of the pope’s first papal exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium.

Before summarizing this second formula, I must say that I am struck by the pope’s insight on reality. He says in the opening paragraph that if we ignore conflict, “we lose our sense of the profound unity of reality”. What does this really mean?

This is a very deep insight on created reality or simply creation. It means every created being that constitutes the entire reality, human or non-human, animate or inanimate, visible or invisible, material or immaterial, etc., has a natural rhythm for unity, that is, it tends to unite or coalesce with other beings whenever it breaks up. For example, when atoms break up, the molecules don’t disappear into nothingness; they form other organisms. This confirms what creation spirituality and environmentalists tell us of the interconnectedness of creation. The IPs confirm this too when they claim to feel presence of the spirit everywhere.

The pope sees this profound tendency or rhythm for unity in human beings even in those who are fighting and destroying each other. In other words, the desire for unification is greater than fragmentation. Where does he pope base his conclusion? In summary the following may be pointed out.

He says that “beyond the surface of conflict”, it is possible “to see others in their deepest dignity.” He explains that “this principle, drawn from the Gospel, reminds us that Christ made all things one in himself: heaven and eart, God and man, time and eternity, flesh and spirit, person and society” This is another deep biblical insight.

“The Christ”, for us Christians therefore, is the symbol of total reality. He adds, “the sign of this unity and reconciliation of all things in him is peace. Christ ‘is our peace’ (Eph 2:14)” because personifies unity, integrity and harmony. This is Shalom in Hebrew and Salam in Arabic and in the languages of Ethiopia and Eretrea. But a problem remains. How does a peace-maker bring about this peace?

The pope cites a fellow Argentinian Jesuit I. Quiles SJ who wrote that looking closely at the biblical texts the locus of this reconciliation of differences is within ourselves, in our own lives.  St. John Paul 11 confirms this when he said that “the peace of the heart is the heart of peace”(Speech in New Zealand). So does Pope Francis when he says, “If hearts are shattered in thousands of pieces, it is not easy to create authentic peace in society.

Our Holy Father ends his explanation of the second formula by saying that peace is not about a negotiated settlement in the form of an agreement on paper. He says that peacemaking is a process whereby the heart that is at peace with God and with one self through the Spirit can overcome conflicts within diverse cultures and harmonize cultural diversities by “creating new and promising synthesis” and “enter into a process of reconciliation and seal a sort of cultural covenant resulting in a ‘reconciled diversity’.” Can this formula be applied to politics? We will see in the next 2 formulas.