Pax Christi

Pax Christi International is a global Catholic peace movement and network that works to help establish Peace, Respect for Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation in areas of the world that are torn by conflict. It is grounded in the belief that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken.

Pax Christi was founded in Europe in 1945 as a reconciliation movement bringing together French and Germans after World War II. Today, the movement has more than 100 Member Organisations active in more than 50 countries and five continents worldwide.

Pax Christi operates as an autonomous Catholic entity in which laypeople, bishops and other religious members work as equals in pursuit of their peace building goals. A faith-based Catholic movement, Pax Christi pays special attention to both the positive and negative impact of religion in attempting to resolve conflicts.
Structurally, Pax Christi is a “bottom up” organisation comprised, on one hand, of national sections and local groups, all carrying the Pax Christi name, and, on the other hand, of affiliated partners and organisations who work under their own names.

Pax Christi International operates in two basic spheres: one responds to requests for help from local peace groups in regions experiencing conflict around the world, and the second supports international coalitions that focus on timely issues like banning landmines, curbing the trade and proliferation of small arms, establishing an International Criminal Court, and abolishing nuclear weapons.

Increasingly, Pax Christi International is sought as a valuable member of international coalitions and as an influential advocate at intergovernmental levels. Since 1979, Pax Christi International has held special consultative status with the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna, as well as with UNESCO in Paris. It is also officially represented at the African Union in Addis Ababa and at the Council of Europe and enjoys, along with its Member Organisations, access to the European Parliament and the European Commission.