Eli McCarthy

Jesus calls us beyond the logics of proportional violence, in large part because it generates cycles of trauma and violence. It is critical that Catholics take a stand and with Jesus say, "Enough!"

In addressing the violence of Russia's war against Ukraine, the pope is trying to shift our gaze. It is a shift that Jesus models, toward pastoral accompaniment and a focus on how we might break the violent dynamic.

Perspective: We don't always hear about Catholic bishops drawing us to the active nonviolence of Jesus. Yet, a pattern is emerging, especially with Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester's recent pastoral letter urging nuclear disarmament.

Commentary: The recent encyclical by Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, offers a critical step toward the illumination of nonviolence and a just peace moral framework, breaking down the old concept of "just war."