PeaceDocs | Bibliography | European Peacemaking
CHAPTER 13: European Peacemaking 1960–1990
For supplementary materials, see also Chapter 18, Women and Peace, Europe
Vatican II and Papal Encyclicals
946. Abbott, Walter M. and Joseph Gallagher, eds. Documents of Vatican II. New York: Guild, America, and Association Presses, 1966.
The best collection for Vatican II available. Presents all the texts for the entire council, including Gaudium et Spes (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 951), with comments by respected theologians and scholars, among them Donald R. Campion, S.J. and Robert McAfee Brown.
947. “The Agenda for 1983.” America 148 (Jan. 1-8, 1983): 3.
The pope’s World Day of Peace Message. War and peace are primary issues. Nations and peoples must overcome fear, distrust, and ideologies to meet the common danger: nuclear war.
948. “Conditions of Peace; Concerning John XXIII’s Recent Encyclical.” America 109 (July 13, 1963): 38.
John XXIII appeals to both sides in the Cold War. Editorial seems to miss the point that the encyclical spoke to peoples as well as to governments.
949. Cornell, Thomas. “The Catholic Church and Witness Against War.” In Thomas A. Shannon, ed. War or Peace? The Search for New Answers. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982, 200-213.
A Catholic Worker’s recollection of the evolution of Catholic peacemaking from World War II to the present, and the American peace community’s role in Vatican II.
950. Finn, Thomas M., C.S.P. “Peace, War and the Vatican Council,” Catholic World 203 (August 1966): 270-75.
“The Church in the Modern World” gives a key, new emphasis to U.N. internationalism.
951. Gaudium et Spes (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World). See 946, 183-316; 963, 178-284.
Essential reading. The central peace document of Vatican II, including its condemnations of war in the modern world and its call on Catholics to become peacemakers. Along with Pacem in Terris (955) this is the constitution of modern Catholic peacemakers. The document’s discussion of peace is divided into three parts: a theology of peace (arts. 77-78), restrictions on war (79-82) and the conclusion of the theology of peace (83-90). It presents a new positive approach to peacemaking that goes beyond the absence of war to the positive works of charity and justice. It follows John XXIII’s appeal to individual conscience and calls on governments to provide for conscientious objection to military service. Most important, it heeds the call of Pacem in Terris to look at war “with an entirely new attitude,” rejecting the balance of terror of nuclear deterrence and calling for a “conversion to peacemaking.”
952. Graham, R.A. “Vatican Peace Initiatives,” America 114 (March 26, 1966): 416.
Paul VI’s world-wide efforts.
953. Gremillion, Joseph. The Gospel of Peace and Justice: Catholic Social Teaching Since Pope John. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1976.
Discusses the global political community, internationalism, and the Catholic peace movement. Documents include Mater et Magistra, Pacem in Terris, Gaudium et Spes, Populorum Progressio, the Medellin documents, and Evangelii Nuntiandi, among others.
954. Holmes, J. Derek. The Papacy in the Modern World. New York: Crossroad, 1981., 203-34.
Good background for the lives and pontificates of John XXIII and Paul VI.
955. John XXIII, Pope. Pacem in Terris. See 963, 117-70.
With Gaudium et Spes (951), this is the fountainhead of all modern Catholic thinking on peace. The pope calls on all people to become peacemakers. The basis of a positive “theology of peace” rather than a negative “theology of war.” Individual conscience plays a key role.
The pope’s words set off a revolution in modern Catholic thinking about war and peace. While often misinterpreted to apply to nuclear war alone, his categorical statement, “in an age such as ours which prides itself on its atomic energy, it is contrary to reason to hold that war is now a suitable way to restore rights which have been violated,” actually questions the justness of any modern war. Even more important, the pope appeals to individual conscience, not government good will or power, as the foundation of real peace. All authority is based on moral law, and if governments should command anything contrary to divine law, the individual is bound to obey divine law over human law. In the end peace is God’s gift and challenge to make peace and justice in the world. Catholics must now “undertake an evaluation of war with an entirely new attitude.”
956. —. “Road to Peace, Address of Dec. 23, 1959,” Vital Speeches 26 (Jan. 15, 1960): 195-98.
Reprints the entire text of his Christmas peace message.
957. —. “Pope John and True Peace,” America 102 (Jan. 9, 1960): 412.
On his Christmas Broadcast for peace in 1959. See 956.
958. Lammers, Stephen E. “Roman Catholic Social Ethics and Pacifism.” In Thomas A. Shannon, ed. War or Peace? The Search for New Answers. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982, 93-103.
Traces post-World War II trends in the acceptance of pacifism as a valid Catholic position, one impossible since the Counter Reformation.
959. McSorley, Richard, S.J. “The Pope’s Call for a Day of Peace,” Commonweal 87 (Feb. 2, 1968): 519, 547.
The U.S. press has distorted Pope Paul’s call for a day of peace and his condemnation of “pacifism.” The pope condemned passive acquiescence to evil, not conscientious objection or nonviolence. We need to consult the Latin text.
960. MacEoin, Gary. “The European Church and the War.” In Thomas E. Quigley, ed. American Catholics and Vietnam. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 1968, 151-62.
There was strong opposition to the Vietnam War from all segments of the European religious groups and shock at Cardinal Spellman’s support for the war.
961. Molnar, Thomas. “The French Bishops’ Bomb,” National Review 36 (Jan. 27, 1984): 40, 65.
On the reaction to the U.S. bishops’ pastoral. Notes that the German bishops believe that the policy adopted by their American brethren would make war and the subjugation of Europe more likely. For their part the French bishops have responded with the November 8, 1983 pastoral, “To Win the Peace,” largely the work of Msg. Jacques Jullien, the vicar of the armed forces.
The bishops begin from a Cold-War premise not used since Pius XII: that the Soviets are bent on conquest and only nuclear weapons check their desire. The West’s materialism must be protected against the East’s materialism. Rejecting even the teachings of John Paul II, the letter states that individual morality is not the same as national morality. Pacifism, it asserts, is passivism and exposes the individual — and the nation -— to aggression. Contradicting John XXIII, the bishops assert that war is possible in the nuclear age, and trumpet the old “Better Dead than Red” slogan that the choice is between “annihilation and slavery,” between “Finlandization and the Gulag.”
The author, whose own views seem to color the article, concludes that the letter has caused rejoicing in the Elyssés Palace, toughened President Mitterand’s hand, and “strengthened the West.” Should one imply that the author believes that the U.S. bishops’ letter has betrayed the West?
962. Mullay, Camilla. “Peace Forever — and Now. John Paul II’s Teaching on Peace and Peace Making,” Vital Speeches 49 (April 1, 1983): 373-77.
A good, if often equivocating, summation of the pope’s thoughts, using his World Day of Peace, 1983, Message. On the whole it appears that the pope’s concept of peace is more often of the pre-Vatican II variety than not. Peace as world order predominates; and the right of national self-defense is stressed. The pope seems highly influenced by his Polish experience. Peace efforts must recognize the reality of national sovereignty, which is a good. Disarmament is also a good, but must not be unilateral; deterrence is still morally acceptable.
On the other hand, peace is not acquiescence to evil, or passivity, or cowardice. While he seeks to underpin the needs of the state for self-defense, the pope stresses that public and private morality are the same; that individual conversion must precede peacemaking, and that peace cannot be achieved through violence.
963. O’Brien, David J. and Thomas A. Shannon, eds. Renewing the Earth: Catholic Documents on Peace, Justice and Liberation. Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1977.
Useful collection for documents in Catholic peacemaking from John XXIII’s Mater et Magistra to Vatican II, Medellin, and statements by U.S. Catholic bishops. Includes good editions of Pacem in Terris (955) on pages 117-70 and the Pastoral Constitution (951) on pages 171-284.
964. Paul VI, Pope. “Christmas Message — Paul VI Address, Dec. 22, 1966,” Vital Speeches 33 (Jan. 15, 1967): 194-96.
“Goodwill: The Key to Peace” stresses that true peace is the result of order, justice, and harmony in the world. It is not complacent serenity but the result of constant struggle. Vietnam is a tragedy.
965. —. “No to Violence, Yes to Peace; Pope Paul’s Message,” America 138 (Jan. 7, 1978): 4.
His Christmas message condemns both terrorism and war.
966. —. Paolo VI per la pace. Luciano Bergonzoni, ed. Bologna: Patron, 1970.
Not seen.
967. —. “‘Peace and Justice in the World: The Church’s Contribution,’ Paul VI Address to Diplomats,” Vital Speeches 38 (Feb. 15, 1972): 258-60.
Chapter 76 of Gaudium et Spes, from Vatican II, is the church’s policy.
968. —. “Pope and Peace: Appeal Against Pacifism,” Christian Century 85 (Jan. 3, 1968): 3.
The pope condemned “passivism,” not “pacifism,” calling for an activist approach to the problems of peace and justice.
969. —. “Pope Paul’s Christmas Plea for Peace,” America 114 (Jan. 8, 1966): 35.
The pope deplores the Cold War.
970. —. Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples). See 963, 307-346.
This papal encyclical is the starting point of Latin American and other Third World liberation theologies. Peace is inextricably bound to social justice and the economic progress of all peoples, especially those of the developing world. In fact, development is the new name for peace. One cannot condemn violent revolution, while not simultaneously condemning the violence of repressive injustice.
971. “Popes on Peace. Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII,” Commonweal 75 (Dec. 29, 1961): 352-53.
Brief excerpts from their speeches.
972. Riga, Peter. A Guide to Pacem in Terris for Students. New York: Paulist Press, 1964.
A fine, simple explanation of the document, which stays close to the text and follows traditional Catholic moral and political theory, with a definite liberal slant. While it puts the arms race clearly in the context of the development of the modern world, it glosses over the encyclical’s call to obey God above man and passes gingerly through John’s condemnation of war in the modern world.
973. Rostow, Eugene V. “The Vatican and its Role in the World Order.” In Francis Sweeney, S.J., ed. The Vatican and World Peace: A Boston College Symposium. Gerrards Cross: Smythe, 1970, 17-26.
Papal peacemaking is based on the Vatican’s international organization, its long experience and diplomatic expertise, and its neutrality, which is the key to conciliation. Pacem in Terris has now severely limited the just-war theory, and the papacy has pressed this point. It also is a strong advocate of the U.N. and of disarmament and has become a leader of world opinion.
974. Schuijt, William J. and René Coste. “History and Commentary of Gaudium et Spes, pt. II, chap. V.” See 976, 328-69.
An good analysis of the controversy surrounding the framing of Gaudium et Spes and the issues of conscientious objection, military service, and total war in the age of nuclear weapons.
975. Swiezawski, Stefan. “Excursus on Article 90: The Commission ‘Iustitia et Pax’.” See 976, 382-83.
A brief history of the commission and the role of Mgr. Joseph Gremillion in framing the council’s call for a new approach to peacemaking.
976. Vorgrimler, Herbert, ed. Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II. Vol. 5: Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. New York: Herder & Herder, 1969.
A companion to the documents of the council, including both detailed discussions of the political aspects of the council and of the doctrinal issues involved in each. Includes 974 and 975.
977. Wright, J.J. “Peace: Modern Papal Teaching,” NCE 11: 41-45.
Peace is the power of reconciliation. Peacemaking is a positive action, the “fruit of love,” and “a loving service to the world.” Peace is “the work of justice.”
Conscientious Objection in Europe
978. Borgese, E.M. “Vatican II: Anathema Upon War: Cases of Italian Conscientious Objectors,” The Nation 202 (April 11, 1966): 415-21.
The impact of Vatican II on Catholic peacemaking, the case of conscientious objector Giuseppe Gozzini, and the famous trial of Fr. Ernesto Balducci, who came to his defense using traditional Catholic moral theory. The “Balducci Case” encouraged thousands of Italian CO claims and won the attention of the bishops assembled at Vatican II and their support after the publication of Pacem in Terris. With the trial and acquittal of both Balducci and Don Lorenzo Milani, conscientious objection became an established principle in Italian law.
979. Davidon, A.M. “International War Resisters: Spain,” Progressive 40 (October 1976): 8-9.
The cases of José Luis (Pepe) Buenza, Jesus Viñas Cirera, and other members of GOCE awaiting trial as conscientious objectors in violation of Spain’s defense laws.
980. Deedy, J. “At Ease: Status in West Germany,” Commonweal 103 (June 4, 1976): 354.
The relaxation of requirements for conscientious objector status brings a flood of applications.
981. Farnsworth, Elizabeth, and Stephen Talbot. “Italy: Pax Romana?” The Nation 234 (April 17, 1982): 454.
“Peace Catholics” are a big surprise here. Even more surprising is the widespread anti-nuclear sentiment among Italians. In the fall of 1981 over one-half million Italians demonstrated against U.S. cruise missile basing. “Priests” were actively involved in the demonstration planning; and the offices of Rev. Gianni Novelli, editor of Nuovi Tempi, served as headquarters. The majority of moral theologians in Italy have condemned nuclear weapons, their teaching “resurrected from a 17-year-old document.” The authors mean article 80 of Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution enacted at Vatican II. Reflects the Nation’s often anti-Catholic and anti-religious prejudices.
982. Fiedeler, Beate, and Ulrike Ladwig. “Women and the Peace Movement in the Federal Republic of Germany,” Frontiers 8, 2 (1985): 59-64.
Not seen.
983. Heneghan, T. “COs or Cheap Labor: West Germany,” Commonweal 105 (Jan. 6, 1978): 5-7.
About 2,000 Catholic conscientious objectors serve with Caritas in programs for the elderly and disabled. The image of the CO has changed drastically from that of the shirker to the social idealist. In 1977 alone 50,000 Germans applied for the status, and the demand rises for the services of this “social fire brigade.”
984. “International C.O. Report: Italy,” CCCO News Notes 36, 2 (Summer 1984): 3.
An Italian court has ruled that factory workers may legally state their conscientious objection to war production and be assigned to nonmilitary production.
985. Kaza, J. “West Germany’s COs,” New Leader 61 (Feb. 27, 1978): 3.
Records the storm of protests from German conservatives over the easing of claims for conscientious objector status. There were 40,000 CO claims in five months in 1977.
986. Kimber, Brian. “Italian Objectors Face Confusing Treatment,” CCCO News Notes 37, 2 (Summer 1985): 3, 16.
Even though Italian objectors have been granted legal status since December 1972, the law and its regulations are still confusing and vague. Though most recognized COs are religious, political objectors have also gained the status. The government has, however, acted arbitrarily, introducing and then withdrawing regulations as the number of objectors swelled (20,000 in 1983, for example). Focuses on the cases of several Italian objectors to illustrate its point.
987. Leiper, G.A. “Letter from Italy,” Christian Century 79 (March 21, 1962): 359-60.
The political and religious controversy around the Italian government’s censoring, and the Vatican’s condemnation of, the French film, Thou Shalt Not Kill, and the Italian peace movement that defied them.
988. Powers, R.T. and H.A. Freeman. “Conscientious Objectors,” NCE 4: 205-6.
The individual Catholic cannot possibly understand all the reasons for his government’s waging a war or judge its justice. His conscience is always poorly informed, and he therefore has no right to conscientious objection. A modern rehashing of theories hatched in the just-war tradition and widely used under Europe’s absolutist monarchs and by the German bishops during World War II. Typical of pre-Vatican II attitudes.
989. Smyth, Philip. “Anti-War Feeling Growing in Belgium,” CCCO News Notes 35, 2 (Summer 1983): 3.
Traces the growth of conscientious objection in Belgium from 134 objectors in 1964 to 2317, or 7.5% of all conscripts in 1980, and the 51% of all Belgians who oppose the draft.
990. —. “New Hope for Spanish COs,” CCCO News Notes 35:1 (Spring 1983): 3.
Under the 1978 constitution conscientious objection is now recognized as a legal right. A new bill would allow alternative service in environmental and other dangerous services.
991. “Pacifists Win in France,” Christian Century 79 (July 11, 1962): 856.
Due to the hunger strike of pacifist Louis Lecoin, the Pompidou government released 28 French conscientious objectors and promises revision of defense laws to allow this right.
992. Pancracio, Jean-Paul. “Le nouveau status des objecteurs de conscience,” Revue du droit publique 101 (Jan. 1985): 103-56.
Not seen.
993. Paterson, Tony. “The Heat Is On,” New Statesman (July 8, 1983): 20.
The crackdown on pacifism in West Germany in light of the campaign to base Pershing II and Cruise missiles on German soil. Outlines a series of measures intended to make nonviolence far more difficult in the future. Nonviolent “blockades” are now considered violence by the Kohl government; while new legislation proposes arresting both violent demonstrators and those, even nonviolent, demonstrators, found close to the violence. This last measure is opposed by the Socialists, Greens, and lawyers’ and police groups.
994. “Spain Incarcerates Catholic CO,” Christian Century 88 (May 12, 1971): 585.
José Luis Buenza, sentenced to 15 months by a Valencia military court, is the first Spanish Catholic ever to claim conscientious objection. He based his defense on the call of Vatican II. Also surveys current status of Spain’s CO legislation.
995. Wentworth, Cedric. “COs in France,” The Objector 3, 2 (October 1982): 5-6.
Changes in laws governing CO status from 1958 to 1982, the tightening of regulations due the the surge of applications in 1971, and the Mitterand government’s plans to liberalize the laws.
996. —. “New Rights for French COs,” The Objector 4, 1 (Sept.1, 1983): 3.
COs will now be allowed to join political parties and trade unions and to exercise their religion freely. By 1985, 25,000 COs will participate in some form of national service.
997. Wiegand, W. “Why There Is No Peace Movement in France,” Encounter 61 (November 1983): 52-54.
A thought-provoking, if unsympathetic analysis. In the United States, Great Britain and West Germany the peace movement is generally not aligned with any one political party. Conservatives therefore cannot bash them for ideological reasons, but must contend with the myriad of motivations: religious and moral, ecological, economic and political, that they present.
In France, however, the three segments of the peace movement are isolated and impotent. The pacifists have never been able to dent the ultra-patriotism and militarism of French culture and France’s bitter feelings over two invasions in recent history. In a predominantly agrarian society the ecologists have had little impact discussing the dangers of nuclear power, and their impact is confined to bohemians and other “subcultures.” The politically motivated peace movement is so closely aligned with the Moscow-dominated Communist Party that it has little credibility.
Wiegand also introduces a factor that has great importance: the French police have always been para-military in function and outlook; they crush demonstrations unmercifully, without conscience. This, and their political clout, presents a great deterrence to nonviolent action.
Religious Peacemaking in Europe
Lanza del Vasto
998. Hope, Marjorie and James Young. The Struggle for Humanity. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1979, 41-70.
His life and teachings on nonviolence, based on interviews and first-hand observations of the life of the Ark at Cevennes, France, as well as a survey of recent nonviolent actions by the community of the Ark.
999. Lanza del Vasto, Joseph Jean. Approches de la vie intérieure. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1962.
Not seen.
1000. —. L’arche avait pour voilure une vigne. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1978.
Part of his spiritual autobiography. The pilgrim returns from India to begins the process of founding the Ark. Recounts the first nonviolent campaigns. Then discusses the constitution of the Ark, the seven vows, and Lanza del Vasto’s teachings on openness and truth, the Bible, religion today, and the prayers of the Ark.
1001. —. Commentario del Evangelio. Enrique Pezzoni, trans. Buenos Aires: SUR, 1955.
Not seen.
1002. —. Dialogues avec Lanza del Vasto: Non-violence, Bible et communautés. René Doumerc, ed. Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1980.
The roots of his activist nonviolence in Gandhi and Catholic spirituality. A series of dialogues, monologues on his books and spiritual development, on nonviolence and the sacrifice it entails. Also discusses Vinoba, Gandhi’s successor, history, progress, the kingdom of heaven, his biblical commentaries, poetry, prayer, inspiration, mediation and reconciliation, power, technology, and science.
The collection also examines his notions on the salvation of the individual and the world, the Ark, and Chantarelle. Provides a good chronology of his life.
1003. —. Gandhi to Vinoba: The New Pilgrimage. Philip Leon, trans. London: Rider, 1956.
The life and teachings of Vinoba, Lanza del Vasto’s teacher and Gandhi’s successor. Includes a selection of texts, prayers and songs on the spirit of nonviolence, action and prayer, etc.
1004. —. L’Homme et sa réalisation. Eric Edelmann, ed. Paris: Beauchesne, 1980.
Interviews on a wide variety of topics. Lanza del Vasto covers pages 9-21. Focuses on his nonviolence, the Ark and its withdrawal from a world dominated by Moloch and Baal, awaiting World War III. Interesting insights into this remote patriarch of peacemakers.
1005. —. L’Homme libre et les âmes sauvages. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1959.
Not seen.
1006. —. Make Straight the Way of the Lord. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
A collection of his short essays and meditations on a wider variety of topics, including nonviolent life and action. Brief essays are grouped under the general headings In Search of the Self, God and Nature, Social Responsibility, Utopia, and the Kingdom of Heaven.
1007. —. Noé. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1965.
Not seen.
1008. —. La passion, mystère de Pâques. Paris: Grasset, 1951.
Not seen.
1009. —. Pour eviter la fin du monde. Jean-Guy Dubuc and Jean-Louis Morgan, eds. Montréal: Éditions La Presse, 1973.
On the occasion of his visit to Montréal to address a conference. Essays on liberty and law revealing Lanza del Vasto’s patriarchal, mystical-dominant, authoritarian form of spirituality; as well as his basic Luddism, a rejection of all of the modern world’s goods and bads. Most evil, in fact, is quite real in the world, and is chiefly associated with technology. Nevertheless there also shines through his active nonviolence, his stress that change in the world must begin with change within.
1010. —. Principles and Precepts of the Return to the Obvious. New York: Schocken Books, 1974.
A series of meditations on poverty, pomp and its effects, chastity, youth, silence, old age, sickness, asceticism and the dignity of the body, God, reason, service, pleasure and pain, beauty and the life of simplicity, nonviolence, and a return to the sources of our spiritual life.
1011. —. Les quatres fléaux, 1959. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1959.
Not seen.
1012. —. Return to the Source. Jean Sidgwick, trans. London: Rider, 1971.
A personal account of his conversion and awakening to his life’s work via his wanderings in the mystical East. A brief review of his life and present activities at the Ark, his life of nonviolence.
1013. —. La trinité spirituelle. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1971.
Not seen.
1014. —. Viatique. 9 vols. in 4. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1970-1975.
Journals of his travels, both physical and spiritual. Portraits, memories, reflections on God, music, etc. Up to 1926.
1015. —. Warriors of Peace: Writings on the Technique of Nonviolence. Michel Random, ed. Jean Sidgwick, trans. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
Definitions of nonviolence; the seven axioms of nonviolence, and a review of the Arks tactics , including the appeal to conscience, fasts, including that in Rome staged by Chantarelle and other women. The Ark has taken nonviolent action against the use of torture, the bomb, internment camps, for conscientious objection and civilian service. Concludes with a very impressionistic review of nonviolence in the West in history and its practice in the world today.
1016. —. and Arnaud de Mareüil. L’Orée des trois vertus. Paris: Le Courrier du Livre, 1971.
A series of essays and meditations on conversion — of the mind, the flesh, and the heart. Maxims and meditations on faith, hope and charity; on justice, liberty and beauty. Includes essays on nonviolence.
1017. Mareüil, Arnaud de, ed. Lanza del Vasto: Présentation, choix de textes. Paris: P. Seghers, 1966.
Not seen.
1018. Random, Michel. Les puissances du dedans. Paris: Éditions Denoël, 1966.
Not seen.
Danilo Dolci
1019. Ammann, Walter. Danilo Dolci. Bern: Benteli, 1972.
A review of his life, with special focus on his nonviolent activities. Nicely illustrated with photos. Topics include Dolci, Sicilian life and culture, economy, history, including the Mafia. Briefly traces his career, highlighting the Partinico trial, his contest with the Mafia, and his debt to Gandhi. An excellent chronology up to July 1972.
1020. Capitani, Aldo. Danilo Dolci. Manduria: Lacaita, 1958.
Not seen.
1021. —. Revoluzione Aperta; Che cosa ha fatto Danilo Dolci? Florence: Parenti, 1956.
The title continues, “on nonviolence, transformation of power, economy, nature, love for all, on the roads to the liberation of the people.”
1022. Casarrubea, Giuseppe. Una alternativa culturale dalla Sicilia occidentale. Trapani: Celebes, 1974.
The grip of the Mafia on the region of western Sicily, and the need to organize to break this cycle of ignorance, exploitation and violence. Is Dolci a writer or a revolutionary? Conversations with associates, analysis of educational and organizational methods, of his writing and poetry, of the Education Center, his deep-seated anti-fascism. Includes a very useful bibliography of Dolci’s works, their translations, articles and reviews on him.
1023. Dolci, Danilo. Conversazioni. Turin: Einaudi, 1962.
Not seen.
1024. —. Conversazioni con Danilo Dolci. Giacinto Spagnoletti, ed. Milan: Mondadori, 1977.
Part One traces his youth, education, family life and friends; his career from the reverse strike at Partinico, the Iato Dam project, the struggle against the Mafia, the Russell Tribunal and his anti-fascist activities, his experiences in the United States on lecture tours, the Mirto educational center, his poetry, and points of controversy in his life. Part Two provides selected source materials.
1025. —. Creature of Creatures. Selected Poems. Justin Vitiello, trans. Saratoga, CA: Anma Libri, 1980.
Dolci’s poems on the life of Sicily’s peasants, their exploitation, the need for change, and for nonviolence. A good introduction to Dolci’s life and career as a peacemaker.
1026. —. For the Young. Antonia Cowan, trans. London: Macgibbon & Kee, 1967.
Answers letters from children who have written supporting his efforts. The letters come from all over Europe and the United States. Their constant theme is the “waste” of Sicilian lives. The points are often made through simple dialogues.
1027. —. The Man Who Plays Alone. New York: Pantheon, 1968.
Two pieces of peasant wisdom typify the problem: in western Sicily chi cammina solo, si trova sempre bene (the man who walks alone always feels at ease) and chi gioca solo non perde mai (the man who plays alone never loses). Dolci’s own recollections of his struggle to raise the consciousness of the Sicilian peasants to overcome their sense of isolated self-interest and to struggle nonviolently for basic human rights. The alienation of the Sicilian poor is expressed in hostility to any loyalty other than to self and to the closed circle of the family. The opposition of the church hierarchy to his efforts is not merely personal but official policy.
1028. —. A New World in the Making. R. Munroe, trans. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1965.
An attempt to go beyond the moral laws of the past to find new answers for a new age. A new ethical system for a new united world. Studies efforts in the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Senegal, and Ghana to familiarize the West with different approaches.
1029. —. Il limone lunare. Non sentite l’odore del fumo? Bari: A. Laterza, 1972.
A combined edition of these two works. Il limone lunare (the lemon moon) is a poem for the radio aimed at western Sicily, where the newspapers are viewed with suspicion and the radio is the prime means of communication. It traces the life of the country people and is designed to raise the consciousness, and hopes, of the peasants and fishermen, to give voices to the voiceless by reminding them of the beauty and dignity of their lives.
Non sentite l’odore del fumo? is a collection of poems on Auschwitz and the Holocaust and is intended to fight a resurgence of fascism in Italy. The title means “Don’t you smell the odor of smoke?”
1030. —. Non esiste in silenzio. Turin: Einaudi, 1974.
A collection of dialogues between Dolci and the inhabitants of Partinico, and his companions. An update to Conversazioni (1025) that includes a roving discussion on what it means to be a man or woman today, on war, military service, the meaning of life and death, justness of killing, infant baptism, and more.
1031. —. “Non-Violence vs the Mafia,” WIN Magazine.
Not seen.
1032. —. The Outlaws of Partinico. R. Munroe, trans. New York: Orion Press, 1963.
Dolci’s account of the conditions around Partinico in western Sicily, its poverty, violence and alienation. Focuses on Dolci’s group and their struggle against violence and examines the life of violence in the region. The book’s heart is a portrait of these “outlaws,” the fishermen and the poor peasants, their living conditions, lack of education, social life and values, and their sense of exploitation.
Part V of the book turns the term “outlaw” on its head by describing the “strike in reverse” by Dolci and the region’s unemployed to begin work on a damaged section of road. They did so without government permission but in accordance with Article IV of the Italian Constitution guaranteeing the right to work to all citizens. Follows their nonviolent action, arrest, and trial. The book concludes with some notes from Dolci’s Study Centers.
1033. —. Palpitare di nessi: Ricerca di educare creativo a un mundo nonviolento. Rome: Armando, 1985.
The subtitle translates: research for creative education for a nonviolent world.
1034. —. Poema umano. Turin: Einaudi, 1974.
Poems from various collections on war and peace, dignity and beauty, Hiroshima, the Holocaust, and other topics.
1035. —. Il ponte screpolato. Turin: Stampatori, 1979.
On educational methods in western Sicily, but also on people’s ability to overcome obstacles. Focuses on Partinico but also recounts experiences in the United States and Soviet Union, his work with Paolo Freire (See 1154) and others on the “new education.” Dolci shows how easy the tie is between these efforts and social activism, and thus with conflict with the Mafia and government corruption.
1036. —. Poverty in Sicily. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1966.
The findings of a series of surveys among the poor and unemployed in and around Palermo in western Sicily. Responses to the question, “Do you think it is God’s will that you are unemployed?” show an almost pagan belief in the unbridgeable gap between God and the world of humans. God takes care of himself and leaves us to do the same. He is not concerned with “social” issues. As one informant remarked, “In my opinion God’s got nothing to do with unemployment.”
1037. —. Report from Palermo. P.D. Cummins, trans. New York: Orion Press, 1959.
In his introduction to this volume Aldous Huxley calls Dolci, “one of these modern Franciscans with-a-degree” who have attempted to apply modern sociological and other professional skills to the problems of exploitation, poverty and violence in a new age, but in the same spirit as the medieval saint.
This book is a study of the unemployed in the province of Palermo. It relies on first-hand accounts collected through questionnaires on such areas as education, trade, means of support without work, self-assessment of the situation, religious beliefs, social, political views, opinions on corruption, and ideas for action. Dolci prints the responses verbatim.
1038. —. Sicilian Lives. New York: Pantheon, 1982.
Accounts of the individuals who make up the “problem” and solution of poverty and liberation in rural Sicily.
1039. —. To Feed the Hungry. London: Penguin Books, 1966.
Not seen.
1040. —. “Trial Statement,” from Outlaws. See 1032, 391-401.
Recounting the events of the “reverse strike,” the work-in to repair the roads at Partinico, his and his follower’s arrest, and Dolci’s apologia for nonviolent civil disobedience. While he and his group were found guilty, the judge passed light sentences in view of “the high moral value of Dolci’s action.”
1041. —. Una politica per la piena occupazione. Turin: Einaudi, 1958.
Dolci’s policy for full employment. He contrasts the scandal of Italy’s army and defense budgets with its lack of a comprehensive employment policy. He then offers suggestions for the proper utilization of natural and human resources. Highlights the problems of illiteracy, the need for political reform, the lack of local industry, exploitation by the landowners, apathy, and the nostalgia of the educated for a more comfortable past.
1042. —. Waste: An Eye-Witness Report on Some Aspects of Waste in Western Sicily. R. Munroe, trans. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1964.
This documents “waste” in all its forms: superstition, water pollution and waste, violence and murder, soil erosion, abject poverty and ignorance, waste of natural resources, of human labor and construction, poor housing depopulation, infant mortality and more. The book is compellingly illustrated with photos, maps, and charts.
1043. Fizzotti, Germana. La divina folia: Danilo Dolci e il “Borgo di Dio.” Palermo: ABC, 1956.
Not seen.
1044. “The Gandhi of Sicily Continuing Crusade,” New York Times, Oct. 30, 1977: 49, 1.
Brief biographical sketch and comment on his current activities, continuing and expanding his nonviolent campaign against the Mafia and linking it to other issues of peace and justice.
1045. Grasso, Franco. A Montelepre hanno plantato una croce. Milan: Avanti!, 1956.
The cross is that of nonviolence planted in a region controlled by bandits and the Mafia.
1046. Hope, Marjorie and James Young. The Struggle for Humanity. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1979, 73-107.
Dolci’s life and struggle for nonviolent change in Sicily, again based on interviews and first-hand observations by the authors.
1047. Mangione, Jerre. A Passion for Sicilians. The World Around Danilo Dolci. New York: William Morrow, 1968.
Dolci mentions God frequently in his early writings but not in his later ones. Has he given up belief? What is the nature of his nonviolence? What are his hopes for revolution and political change? Who is the man behind the legend? Mangione sets out to find some answers.
He first gives an interesting account of Dolci in the United States on a speaking tour and the hostility shown him by some Italian-Americans for the bleak picture he draws of Sicily and of Italian corruption. Mangione then travels to Italy where he encounters a marked hostility or bored disinterest in the man from many of Italy’s most brilliant writers, thinkers and activists, who find that Dolci has outlived his usefulness. Even some of his former closest friends have now turned against him. Why?
Mangione travels to western Sicily, finds even Sicilians living in the region ignorant of his efforts, finds intense opposition to the man even within his own organization. Much of the hostility stems from Dolci’s trust in native Sicilians on his staff, for his “nonprofessional” staff and methods, for the lack of drama in his work at present. Many are bewildered over his commitment: is it religious, political, naive? Dolci does seem to have trouble as an organizer and in keeping the loyalty of his associates.
Most of Mangione’s book is in the form of a journal, and this does recount several of Dolci’s group actions, in Sicily, and in Rome.
1048. McNeish, James. Fire Under the Ashes. The Life of Danilo Dolci. London: Holder & Stoughton, 1965.
The best and most complete biography of Dolci available in English.
1049. Melville, Harcourt. Portraits of Destiny. New York: Sheed & Ward, 1966.
Dolci is covered on pages 48-97. Focuses on his life, work in Sicily, the Centro Studi, his personality. A good, brief introduction.
1050. Peachment, Brian. The Defiant Ones: Dramatic Studies of Modern Social Reformers. Oxford: Religious Education Press, 1969.
Discusses Dolci.
1051. Processo all’articolo 4 nella documentazione di Achille Battaglia et al. Turin: Einaudi, 1956.
The Partinico trial.
1052. Steinmann, Jean. Pour ou contre Danilo Dolci? Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1959.
Various media and political takes on Dolci and his nonviolence.
1053. Waller, Ross D. Danilo Dolci. Manchester: Manchester Library and Philosophical Society. Memoires and Proceedings, vol. 102, 1959-1960.
Not seen.
Northern Irish Peace People
1054. Boyd, Andrew. “The ‘Success’ of the Peace People,” The Nation 224 (April 16, 1977): 453-56.
As of early 1977 the Peace People have been very successful with the media in the United States and Europe. But has all this had any effect? The IRA, Royal Ulster Constabulary and Loyalists keep up level records of butchery. The Peace People’s effects seem to be far greater abroad than in Ireland. Even in Ireland there is more glitter than hope from the Peace People.
Reviews the history of the movement and the personalities of its leaders. But who backs them? Where do they get their money? Boyd repeats suspicions that they are fronts for the British. Peace groups, he contends, are lots of empty verbiage, with their “prayers” and lists of empty platitudes. They don’t do enough exposing of corruption, not enough condemnation of politicians; and there has not ben a peace group in northern Ireland that has not been encouraged by the British. Therefore they must be government fronts.
Boyd’s true feelings about peacemaking and his admiration for force come through: “The only people who can make peace are those who are making war.” All the prayers in the world and all the nonviolent demonstrations and small-scale actions will not change the real men’s minds; and these, of course, are the ones with the big guns.
1054.–1. Darraj, Susan Muaddi. Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan: Partners for Peace in North Ireland. New York: Chelsea House, 2006.
1055. Deutsch, Richard. Mairead Corrigan — Betty Williams. Woodbury, NY: Barrons, 1977.
The best single source on the lives, motives, and careers of the Peace People. Begins with the first peace march, the situation in Ulster in August 1976, the lives, backgrounds and ideas of Mairead Corrigan, Betty Williams, and Ciaran McKeown. Then discusses the history of the peace marches, the Declaration of the Peace People, and four of the major rallies. Examines the program of the group in some detail, with full quotation from the “Strategy for Peace” and the “Model Constitution.” Concludes with an examination of the crisis in the group caused by growth and a shift to low-key community organizing, the loss of media coverage, the opposition in Ireland, the personal dynamics among the three leaders, the effects of the Nobel Peace Prize, and some appendices. Foreword by Joan Baez.
1056. McDowell, Michael H.C. “Post-Nobel Decline: Peace People Fall on Hard Times,” Commonweal 107 (March 28, 1980): 164-65.
Brief review of the movement, its present state of inactivity, the damaged credibility of Corrigan and Williams for keeping their Nobel Peace Prize money.
1057. O’Donnell, Dalry. The Peace People of Northern Ireland. Camberwell: Widescope, 1977.
Not seen.
1058. Power, Jonathan. “Can the Peace People Bring an Irish Peace?” Encounter 48 (March 1977): 9-17.
“Love your enemy” is at the root of Mairead Corrigan’s actions; but hostility to the Peace People from the Irish themselves is very strong. Betty Williams is quicker, sharper, and less Christian in outlook. Ciaran McKeown has been a leader of the movement from the start.
Reviews the work of the group, its marches and rallies, its Christian vocabulary, its strengths and weaknesses. Its truths do not appeal to the politicians or the media; but, like the civil rights movement in the U.S., the movement feeds on adversity. To maintain their strength, however, the Peace People need continued opposition that makes big mistakes. It also needs clearly defined targets and goals. What can the British and Irish governments do to help? Expresses fears that Northern Ireland will become another Lebanon.
1059. “The Prize for Peace Doesn’t Always Lead to It: Two Women of Ulster,” New York Times, Oct. 21, 1984.
Reviews the current activities of Corrigan and Williams. The Peace People survives as an organization, despite the lack of publicity, and runs camps and athletic activities to bring together Catholic and Protestant youth.
1060. Tousley, Ben. “Small Candles of Peace in Northern Ireland,” Fellowship 49, 12 (December 1983): 7-10, 22.
The Peace People succeeded in drawing people together. By 1977 their membership had been dwindling, but they had spurred many other grass-roots and religious groups.
Solidarity and Poland
1061. Bird, Thomas E. “The Pope and Poland: And Now What? Resistance, Not Rebellion,” Commonweal 110: 13 (July 15, 1983): 390-92.
John Paul’s visit unabashedly political, to urge Poles to nonviolent resistance. Solidarity is the most massive people’s movement in the history of Europe.
1062. Bobinski, Christopher. “Polish Bishops: Talk, Don’t Fight,” NCR 18, 19 (March 12, 1982): 2.
Nonviolence and dialogue are not acquiescence to evil.
1063. The Book of Lech Walesa. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1982.
Collection of first-hand assessments of Walesa by friends and associates. Valuable materials on his Catholicism and nonviolence.
1064. Brandys, K. A Warsaw Diary. R. Lourie, trans. New York: Random House, 1984.
Reflections on a great many things, including the role of John Paul II in bringing hope to Poland. Solidarity is mentioned only in passing.
1065. Bratman, Fred. “A Triumph of Moral Force: Walesa Discomforts the Communists by Winning a Nobel Prize,” Time 122, 17 (Oct. 17, 1983): 50.
Walesa recognized as a force for nonviolent change.
1066. Brecher, John and Elaine Sciolino. “Poland: The Church vs the State,” Newsweek 99 (Feb. 15, 1982): 39-40.
Pope John Paul is sympathetic with the hardliners in the Polish hierarchy who seek to challenge martial law regime through their moral influence.
1067. Cviic, Christopher. “The Church,” in Poland, Genesis of a Revolution. Abraham Brumberg, ed. New York: Random House, 1983, 92-108.
A general survey of the Catholic church’s role in Polish history, from 1945 to 1978, in alliance with Poland’s dissidents, John Paul’s visit, and the Solidarity period. While Solidarity finds its roots in Catholicism, it is not a “Catholic” movement.
1068. “Faith, Prayer — and Defiance,” Newsweek 101 (June 27, 1983): 38-47.
A general account of the pope’s visit and its meaning for Polish nonviolence.
1069. Hebblethwaite, Peter. “’Murder in the Cathedral’ Echoes in Poland Plans,” NCR 19 (Feb. 11, 1983): 7.
The martyrdom of Thomas à Becket in defense of Catholic liberty stands as a strong model for Poland’s church under martial law.
1070. Jones, Arthur. “Warsaw: Walking in Walesa’s Shadow,” NCR 20, 10 (Dec. 23, 1983): 24.
Polish priests are outspoken in their support of Solidarity and in their condemnation of Soviet oppression.
1071. Kohan, John. “Poland: A Nation Mourns a Martyred Priest,” Time (Nov. 12, 1984): 58-59.
Recounts the known events surrounding Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko’s kidnapping and murder by Polish security agents. Lech Walesa’s plea to the 400,000 mourners at his funeral that the authorities “wanted to kill the hope that it is possible in Poland to avoid violence in political life.”
1072. —. “Poland: Marching Out of Step,” Time (May 14, 1984): 36.
The banned Solidarity’s strong showing on May Day ceremonies in 1984 demonstrates the ongoing strength of nonviolence.
1073. —. “Return of the Native,” Time 121 (June 27, 1983): 28-37.
On John Paul’s visit and his message: A victory through Christian means is part of Poland’s heritage.
1074. Labedz, Leopold, ed. Jaruzelski: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on Poland During and After Martial Law. New York: Charles Scribner’s, 1984.
Not seen.
1075. MacShane, Denis. Solidarity. Nottingham: Spokesman, 1981.
A good account of the movement, its background and motivations, its personalities and events.
1076. Persky, Stan and Henry Flam, eds. The Solidarity Sourcebook. Vancouver: New Star, 1982.
An good collection of primary sources on the history, personalities, and theory of the Solidarity movement.
1077. “Pope and Emperor,” New Republic 189 (July 18, 1983): 7-9.
John Paul’s visit and his sermon at Czestochowa have ended Cardinal Glemp’s accommodation. The Catholic church plays a vital role in Solidarity’s nonviolent resistance.
1078. Potel, Jean-Yves. The Promise of Solidarity. New York: Praeger, 1982.
Not seen.
1079. Sikorska, Grazyma. Jerzy Popieluszko: A Martyr for the Truth. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 1985.
Chapters include discussions of the Catholic heritage of Poland through the Solidarity period, Jerzy’s early years to 1972, his priesthood and allegiance to Solidarity members, even through the worst trials of the time, his activities after martial law was declared, and his outspoken condemnations of the government’s repression.
Throughout his ministry Popieluszko continued to stress nonviolence and reconciliation, reminding even the oppressors within the Polish government of their humanity. He had to contend with constant efforts by the police to provoke violence or pro-Solidarity demonstrations during his masses, and remained constantly vigilant against such methods.
The martyred priest based his actions and words consciously on Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Wyzsynski. He gained the support of the workers and local bishops but was condemned by the government for his opposition to communism and its materialistic nihilism. At first the government tried to silence him through church channels. When this failed, they resorted to violence and harassments.
The book concludes with a description of his kidnapping and murder, based on the later trial record. It includes the priest’s own statement made in September 1984: “the state of the Church will always be the same as the state of the people. The Church is not just the Church hierarchy: it is all the people of God, a nation of millions, who constitute the Church in the greater sense, and when they suffer, when they are persecuted, the Church suffers.”
1080. Singer, Daniel. “Poland Diary: Bitter Hope in a Cold Climate,” The Nation 240, 24 (June 22, 1985): 760-64.
Continued economic troubles, the survival of Solidarity as a real presence, the country’s mood after the amnesty of political prisoners and the trial of Jerzy Popieluszko’s murderers. While active opposition may be on hold, this is only natural; great hope remains for economic and some political democracy. and the continued heroism of Lech Walesa, whose essentially religious motivation Singer now understands.
1081. Staniszkis, Jadwiga. Poland’s Self-Limiting Revolution. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.
The Catholic influence on Solidarity has weakened a slow trend toward secularization; but the power of the Polish episcopate to negotiate with the government seems to be aimed at protecting institutional interests.
1082. Swomley, John M. “The Lessons of Solidarity,” Fellowship 51, 7-8 (July-August 1985): 15-16, 37.
Solidarity is the most significant nonviolent movement to emerge within the Soviet bloc. Briefly reviews its rise, goals, and nature. This cuts across class, and ideological lines; the movement is not strictly religious, although it is deeply influenced by the Catholic church’s social teachings; its nonviolence is tactical, not theological. Interviews several Protestant clergymen, as well as Paris-based journalist Daniel Singer to downplay the Catholic and religious nature of Solidarity’s nonviolence. The Polish government and Soviets exercised great restraint. The pope and Polish hierarchy used fear of reprisal as a tool to restrain the movement’s revolutionary impetus. “It is doubtful if there is enough consciousness in Poland of the theory and practice of nonviolence to build a continuing movement or even a mythology about nonviolence.”
Ironically the article is led off by a three-column photo of a Solidarity demonstration set in front of a huge poster of Pope John Paul II. In the midst of the demonstration a nun, in full habit, beams at the camera.
1083. Szajkowski, Bogdan. “The Catholic Church in Defense of Civil Society in Poland,” in Poland After Solidarity: Social Movements Versus the State. B. Misztal, ed. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books, 1985, 67-84.
Using classic discussions of “civil society” in Hegel, Marx and Gramsci as a basis, he discusses the role of the church in moderating civil discourse and furthering Polish aspirations for truth, dignity and basic human rights. Good bibliography.
1084. Tischner, Josef. The Spirit of Solidarity. Marek B. Zaleski and Benjamin Fiore, S.J., trans. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982.
A collection of short, homily-like essays by Tischner, a Polish priest and spiritual leader of Solidarity. Solidarity is committed to peaceful action based on religious faith. Nonviolence is a key element in its program. The preface by Zbigniew Brzezinski is especially important in this regard.
1085. Touraine, Alain and others, eds. The Analysis of a Social Movement; Poland 1980-1981. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
Useful as background, but fails to assess properly the religious nonviolence of the movement.
1086. Watson, Russell. “Has Walesa Been Dumped? The Pope Plays Politics in Poland,” Newsweek 102 (July 11, 1983): 30-31.
The L’Osservatore Romano story and the Vatican’s denial.
1087. Weschler, Lawrence. The Passion of Poland. New York: Pantheon, 1984.
Excellent essays originally appearing in the New Yorker, based on interviews, printed and underground works, and first-hand observations of the situation in Poland from May 1981 to September 1983. Well annotated, with a useful chronology of Polish history. An excellent introduction to the Solidarity period.
1088. Will, James E. “The Power of the Polish Church,” Christian Century 99 (Jan. 6, 1982): 5-6.
Fifty percent of Polish Communist Party members are practicing Catholics. The religious character of Solidarity is astonishing. Glemp has condemned martial law but has called for nonviolence and has refused to negotiate without Lech Walesa. Poland’s bishops have condemned martial law and called for the release of Solidarity prisoners.
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