Pax Christi International

12/10/2026

Pax Christi International, together with Pax Christi USA, is implementing a LEX-funded project, “Mobilising Catholic Voices to Challenge Nuclear Deterrence”.

The project brings together Catholic leaders and activists to strengthen the Catholic voice for nuclear disarmament. This work is particularly important as the Church continues to speak clearly against nuclear weapons, with Pope Francis declaring their possession immoral and Pope Leo XIV calling for “an unarmed and disarming peace”.

As part of the project, we are organising closed online discussion circles for Catholics involved in peacebuilding, advocacy and nuclear disarmament. We are also connecting with bishops who may be interested in following the project and speaking publicly on these issues.

We would be grateful for your help to:

- Identify Catholic activists and peace/disarmament advocates in your country or region who may wish to participate. Please share this application form with them:
https://forms.gle/K8YM1LnkEX7QqJG76
Participants will be selected by the project team.

- Suggest bishops who may be interested in peace, disarmament or nuclear issues. Please send their contact details to our Advocacy Officer Giulia Bordin at [email protected].

Thank you for helping us strengthen the Catholic voice for peace and a world free from nuclear weapons.

Spanish and French translations available below ⬇️

09/10/2026

A year after the purported Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces continue to kill and injure Palestinians every day, while restrictions on aid, equipment and rebuilding materials prevent families from recovering.

We are among more than 100 humanitarian, human rights and civil society organisations to have signed a joint statement condemning the horrors that people in Gaza continue to endure every day.

The number of signatories continues to grow. Let’s keep making our voices heard.

Download the statement here ➡️https://paxchristi.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/One-Year-After-Gaza-Ceasefire-Deal.pdf

07/10/2026

“The darkness is no darkness before you;
the night is as clear as the day.” (Taizé Canon)

Drawing by Ahmad, المؤسسة التعليمية العربية - Arab Educational Institute – Pax Christi Bethlehem

06/10/2026

Ahead of COP31, taking place in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA), of which Pax Christi International is a member, has joined more than 70 Christian organisations and networks across Europe in calling on the European Union to demonstrate just leadership on climate action. Their appeal comes at a time when the devastating effects of climate change are having increasingly serious consequences in Europe and around the world.

Appeal ➡️https://paxchristi.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-faith-based-appeal-for-European-leadership-at-COP31-by-ELSiA-and-supported-by-EBF-campaign-signatories-FINAL.pdf

04/10/2026

At the end of September, Geneva hosted the Peace Walk, a silent, nonviolent march centred on the theme “One Humanity”. Pax Christi International was among the co-organisers.

The event brought together people from diverse backgrounds, who walked side by side to show their shared commitment to peace. Representatives of Pax Christi Switzerland also joined the ceremony, which concluded with a moment of meditation. 👣

Read more ➡️ https://paxchristi.net/geneva-peace-walk-2026-walking-together-for-one-humanity/

03/10/2026

We join in the mourning these two young lives and accompany in prayer and nonviolent action for peace all those who continue to lose their loved ones in the genocide.

With deep sorrow, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, extends his deepest condolences, on behalf of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and its clergy, to the families of Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud (Ayyad) and Mary Hafez Michel Najjar (Abu Daoud), and to the Christian community in Gaza, following their deaths in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City last night.

“Blessed the one whom you will choose and bring to dwell in your courts.” (Ps 65:5)

02/10/2026

The armed conflict that began in 2026 between the United States, Israel and Iran continues to have devastating consequences, alongside an increasingly severe economic crisis.

In September, in response to the ongoing hostilities, the interfaith organisation Luke 10, which has been working for years to foster dialogue and peacebuilding between Iran and the United States, has addressed the governments of both countries with the statement “Choose Diplomacy, Not War”. 🤝

The signatories call for an end to hostilities and for a diplomatic path towards a just and lasting peace. 🕊️

More information, together with the statement, is available here ➡️ https://paxchristi.net/choose-diplomacy-not-war-luke-10s-call-for-peace/

02/10/2026

"Magnifica Humanitas", the first Encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, published on 25 May 2026, asks how human dignity can be safeguarded in the age of Artificial Intelligence, placing human rights and the common good at the heart of technological progress. The Encyclical calls for AI to serve the human person, guided by justice, solidarity, dialogue, transparency and shared responsibility.

During this side event at the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council, experts and representatives from different organisations will reflect on the implications of the Encyclical for human rights, AI governance, international humanitarian law, peace and disarmament.

The event is co-organised by Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, Caritas, Jesuit Refugee Service - JRS and Pax Christi International, with the support of the Sovereign Order of Malta Ambassador Against Human Trafficking. Among the speakers will be Mattia Tosato, PCI Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, who will explore how Magnifica Humanitas can inform and guide work for peace and disarmament.

🗓️ Friday 2 October 2026
🕑 14:00 - 15:00
📍 Concordia 1, Palais des Nations - Geneva

29/09/2026

Last 25 September, we held our event “A Light for a World Without Nuclear Weapons” 🏮

Together with the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, we organised a space for reflection and discussion on the narratives and logics that continue to underpin the role of nuclear weapons in public and political debate.

Led by Florian Eblenkamp, ICAN’s Advocacy Coordinator, the event provided an opportunity to reflect together on how nuclear weapons are presented and perceived, and on the arguments used to justify their continued existence.

📃 During the discussion, participants read out several statements made throughout history about the atomic bombs, choosing some of them to reflect on and discuss together. Afterwards, our Advocacy Officer, Giulia Bordin, read the testimony of a "hibakusha", a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombings.

🕯️ The discussion was followed by a lantern ceremony featuring lanterns from Hiroshima, which were lit in remembrance of the victims of the atomic bombings.

The event was organised to coincide with the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, established by the United Nations and observed every year on 26 September. The occasion aims to raise public awareness and understanding of the threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity and the need for their total elimination.

Pax Christi International has endorsed the Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal, encouraging partner organisations to continue their efforts to raise awareness, so that the lights lit today may increasingly reflect the hope of a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

Read the Joint Appeal ➡️ https://www.nuclearabolitionday.org/joint-letter

28/09/2026

During the 63rd United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Pax Christi International delivered two statements on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The statements were read by Mattia Tosato, PCI UN Representative in Geneva.

In the statement delivered during the interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), co-signed by Edmund Rice International, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA) Human Rights Office, VIDES Internazionale FVGS ETS, Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace (GSIJP), and the Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23), we reaffirmed our solidarity with Indigenous communities defending their rights peacefully, including their right to self-determination. The statement highlighted the link between the defence of Creation and peacebuilding, calling for greater access for Indigenous Peoples to international decision-making processes and respect for the right to free, prior and informed consent.

In the statement delivered during the Annual Panel on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, co-signed by the same organisations and the Mouvement International d’Apostolat des Milieux Sociaux Indépendants (MIAMSI), we highlighted the importance of the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decisions concerning their territories and the future of their communities, with particular attention to the role of women and young people and the protection of human rights defenders.

Both documents also refer to the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, underlining the importance of ensuring that peoples have a meaningful say in decisions affecting their future.

Read the statements here ➡️ https://paxchristi.net/pax-christi-international-calls-for-meaningful-participation-of-indigenous-peoples-at-the-un-human-rights-council/