Peace is more than just a balance of power between enemies: it is an enterprise of justice that involves all humanity. Humanly it may seem impossible that one day there will be peace in all the world. But the God of peace wants to be with us at this moment (Rom 15:33). Jesus wants to bring us his peace (Jn 14:27). We can indeed contribute to peace in the world, in the first place by spreading peace around us (Mt 5:9).
The defence of the weak, poor and marginalised is an essential Christian duty. So if standing up against genocide, dictatorship, annexation or arms trade can be seen this way, it is our duty to do so. We can even use an appropriate measure of violence. The main question is what means are acceptable: when is war justified, you could say? As war is always a defeat of humanity, we are all called to strive for a just peace[>M.1].
