Pope Leo calls for systemic peacebuilding over militarism amid global tensions
Original framing: “Pope Leo urges world leaders to reject war and negotiate peace” — Al Jazeera
Peacebuilding frameworks in non-Western cultures emphasize relational harmony and community-based mediation. These approaches contrast with Western models that prioritize legalistic and punitive measures, often failing to address the root causes of conflict.
The Pope’s call for peace must be contextualized within the structural realities that sustain conflict, including economic inequality, geopolitical competition, and the influence of the arms industry.
Indigenous and community-based practices offer proven alternatives to militarized conflict resolution, yet they remain underutilized. Historical patterns show that symbolic appeals alone are insufficient without institutional and economic reform. Cross-culturally, peace is not the absence of war but the presence of justice and relational harmony. To move forward, global actors must prioritize inclusive governance, equitable resource distribution, and the integration of diverse peacebuilding traditions into formal policy frameworks.