Our hearts join with the hearts of the world, people of all faiths and walks of life, as we gather together in mourning and grief at the loss of Pope Francis.

Our Vicar for Social Impact, Loraine Elliott commemorates:

Our Servant Leader who stood tall for Justice and Peace and Hope has gone home to God.

May he rest in eternal peace.

Haere atu ki te Rangatira e,

Haere, haere, haere atu ra. 

The Justice and Peace Commission also celebrate the 12 years and 42 days of Pope Francis’ papacy by paying tribute to 12 of his most iconic quotes on Justice and Peace.

1. “Peace and justice are inseparable!”

   In a 2019 interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, Pope Francis declared, “Justice is the second wing of peace. No one, therefore, can believe in God and not seek to live in justice with everyone, according to the Golden Rule.”

2. “Where there is no justice, there is no peace.”

   Addressing children at the Peace Factory in 2015, he emphasized that societal injustice undermines peace.

3. “Peace is a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family.”

   During the 53rd World Day of Peace, he highlighted peace as a universal aspiration.

4. “Peace is not a document which gets signed and then filed away. Peace is built day by day!”

   In his Apostolic Journey to Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic, he stressed the continuous effort required for peace.

5. “Without justice, there is no peace.”

   In an April 2024 general audience, Pope Francis reiterated that justice is foundational to peace.

6. “Every war is a form of fratricide that destroys the human family’s innate vocation to brotherhood.”

   He condemned war as a betrayal of human fraternity during the 53rd World Day of Peace.

7. “Peace is also threatened by every denial of human dignity.”

   Addressing members of the Diplomatic Corps, he warned that violations of human dignity endanger peace.

8. “Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states.”

   In a 2014 message to a conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, he advocated for an ethic of responsibility over fear.

9. “Peace is a work of justice. Here too: not a justice proclaimed, imagined, planned… but rather a justice put into practice, lived out.”

   During his Apostolic Journey to Sarajevo, he emphasized the importance of practical justice in achieving peace.

10. “God is not the God of war, but of peace.”

    In a 2021 message to the G20 Interfaith Forum, he reaffirmed that divine will aligns with peace, not conflict.

11. “Trusting others is an art and peace is an art.”

    In Evangelii Gaudium, he likened the pursuit of peace to an art form requiring skill and dedication.

12. “Peace is the fruit of a great political project grounded in the mutual responsibility and interdependence of human beings.”

He described peace as a collective political endeavour rooted in shared human responsibility.

These statements reflect Pope Francis’ unwavering commitment to promoting justice and peace throughout his papacy to his last breath, where he urged in his final public Easter address: reiterating the release of hostages, supporting international aid for Gaza, lamenting the unfolding “humanitarian crisis” and condemning the acts of violence from both sides of the conflict.

May we continue to dedicate our unswerving devotion to Pope Francis’ lifetime commitment to justice and peace in our world and times.

We pray Pope Francis receives God’s eternal rest and peace, the same hope of peace he so painstakingly sought and fought for while on this earth.

Moe mai rā

Requiescat in pace

🕊