‘War games’ and the business of death
Our editorial director reviews the latest report from SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) which details the inexorable increase in arms sales and recalls Pope Francis’ constant warnings against “the game of war”.
By Andrea Tornielli
“I would like to point out the hypocrisy of talking about peace and launching into war. In some countries where there is a lot of talk about peace, the most profitable investments are in the production of weapons. This hypocrisy always leads to “failure. The failure of brotherhood, the failure of peace.”
Pope Francis spoke these words on November 25 as he commemorated the 40th anniversary of the peace treaty between Argentina and Chile that ended the Beagle Channel conflict.
His words find tragic confirmation in data recently published by SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). The arms industry continues to grow, with revenues increasing 4.2% last year to $632 billion (+19% since 2015).
Unfortunately, the other statistics linked to this increase are well known: the number of military and civilian deaths and injuries, the destroyed cities, the displaced people, the future stolen from generations of young people and the environmental devastation.
The Bishop of Rome uses the striking reference to “playing war.” When wars are mentally approached as a kind of “game”, whether political or military, it is a sign that the desire to address the roots of conflict has disappeared.
Such an attitude reflects a lack of willingness to understand the causes of war and seek solutions. This is a sign that the value of peace, the importance of dialogue and the role of negotiation in resolving disputes have been forgotten.
Additionally, games usually involve competition, with a winner and a loser, which is perfectly acceptable for a tennis match or a game of chess. But when “playing war” involves states, it contradicts the very concept of human fraternity and international law.
By denouncing the hypocrisy of those who seek to profit from war, indifferent to its catastrophic consequences, Pope Francis launches an urgent appeal to the conscience of political leaders and all.
It calls for an end to doing business at the expense of others, at the expense of peace, and therefore at the expense of the weakest and of all humanity.
This is a deeply spiritual call, which requires the intense prayer of the entire Church, especially in this season of Advent.
He invokes the “Prince of Peace” to inspire thoughts, words and above all actions that allow international political life to be conducted seriously, with a forward-looking vision that considers the future and generations to come.
Recognition that our world urgently needs “honorable compromises” – like the one signed between Argentina and Chile with Vatican mediation forty years ago – must prevail over “war games” of the powerful .
“May God enable the international community to make the force of law prevail through dialogue, because dialogue ‘must be the soul of the international community’.”
