"Peace Troops" Deploy in Sri Lanka

A different type of army has deployed its first squad.

Late last month 11 members of a new international "peace force" hit the ground in Sri Lanka to help guarantee the end of a bloody civil war, according to the National Catholic Reporter. Sri Lanka is a nation just southeast of India.

Founders of the Nonviolent Peaceforce began forming the international peace "army" about four years ago, the paper reported. They were inspired by the vision of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, who once talked of building a non-violent peace army willing to defend India with their lives but without weapons.

The international team now in Sri Lanka includes three U.S. citizens, according to NCR, including a 54-year-old grandmother from Wisconsin. They will "fight" for peace by monitoring human rights abuses and accompanying local peace activists in their work. Though they are risking their lives, they believe their training in nonviolent conflict resolution will help bring peace to conflicts they face in Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from the civil war.

Peaceforce organizers hope to train and deploy 2,000 civilians by 2010 for similar missions around the world, NCR reported. Click here to check out the groups website or click here to check out the full article.

Catholic Connections

"Christian nonviolence, therefore, is convinced that the manner in which the conflict for truth is waged will itself (show) or (hide) the truth. To fight for truth by dishonest, violent, inhuman, or unreasonable means would simply betray the truth one is trying to vindicate. The absolute refusal of evil or suspect means is a necessary element in the witness of nonviolence." - Thomas Merton, Catholic monk.

Reflection Questions

What are some tips for responding to violent words or actions with non-violence?

What are the drawbacks and benefits of placing civilians trained for non-violence in war zones instead of conventional armies?

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