A LETTER FOR PEACE

In October of 2019,  I did a Blog on an amazing Lazarist missionary who has dedicated  nearly 50 years of his life to the poorest people in Madagascar. FATHER PEDRO OPEKA (born in Argentina of Slovenian ancestry) has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dismayed by Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, he wrote an open letter, imploring for a end to the massacre of innocent life.  The letter is too poignant to just give excerpts.   Icons by Kayeryna Shadrina of Lviv, Ukraine.

To my brother Vladimir Putin!

Brother Vladimir, this Thursday, February 24, we woke up with great astonishment, learning that you declared war and unleashed the attack on the Ukrainian population, a sovereign nation that respects international laws and never had the intention of attacking Russia.

 Brother Vladimir Putin, the citizens of numerous countries feel great bitterness, sadness and shame for your actions, full of madness and megalomania.

You are Vladimir, the president of Russia, which is loved and respected by so many in the world for its history and its deep spiritual roots.

 We wonder how it is possible that you want to impose on another nation the madness of the establishment of an imperialism of another time.

The only solution you found in your selfishness and derailed dominance was to start a war at three in the morning, surprising your once Soviet brothers. A minute after your speech, a cloud of rockets and missiles spread over Ukraine. From what you described, one could imagine that the attack was for a nation that is a threat to the entire world. But the reality is that the Ukrainian people simply want to live in peace, in their free and independent country.

We wonder how it is possible that you want to impose on another nation the madness of the establishment of an imperialism of another time.

 Under threat of being tried for treason, it was easy to force Russian soldiers, who did not want to go to fight, under false pretenses to attack and kill their brothers and sisters from another village.

Free men and women, humanists of our world! Raise your voice and condemn these barbaric, atrocious actions against the Ukrainian people! 

It is time to abandon this logic that divides countries between strong and rich on the one hand, and vulnerable and poor on the other. We are all citizens of our Earth, we all have equal value, we are all brothers and sisters, and we are all responsible for building a better world for all the children of the world, who will come after us and continue with life on Earth. We must stop thinking that some have more dignity than others.

 We live in the 21st century, and the weapons that people invented can destroy our planet Earth. How can you, brother Putin, play with fire and walk on the fuse of the explosive, which at any moment can explode and create total chaos, leading to the destruction of our entire civilization?

“Free men and women, humanists of our world! Raise your voice and condemn these barbaric, heinous actions against the Ukrainian people!”

Where did everything we learned from all past wars go, those wars in which people fought, and did not accept the other as an equal, a being with the same rights? Where was the wisdom of the heroes, of the poets and writers, who defended the ideals of all humanity from barbarism, savagery, tyrannies and dictatorships?

 If only we could, brother Vladimir, be more humane, more respectful, more honest, genuine and sincere. Well, only the truth will set us free and make us more brothers, more fraternal.

How could we today accept the dramatic death, imposed on Ukrainian and Russian soldiers? Each of these soldiers have a family, they have brothers and sisters who will cry for them, if they die.

I stop to think about the Russian soldiers: they will not know why they died, or why they were killed.

It is never too late to return to reason, and join humanity, that humanity that wishes to live in justice, in brotherhood and in peace. The war you have started is an irresponsible act that hurts humanity.

“Where was the wisdom of the heroes, of the poets and writers, who defended the ideals of all humanity from barbarism, savagery, tyrannies and dictatorships?”

With war we will never solve disagreements between humans. The peoples of this world converse and dialogue, with diplomacy. 

The intervention of third countries can always collaborate to solve problems and potential conflicts. It is always possible to find peaceful and just solutions.

That is why it is urgent to respect the idea that we all belong to one single family of humanity.

The whole of humanity unites us, beyond ideologies, creeds or racial concepts. Well, we are part of the same humanity, with differences, but free and equal, to each other. Our differences are a wealth. And if those differences are lived with respect, generosity and brotherhood, they make life more beautiful.

 Brother Vladimir, return to the cradle of the family of humanity, and be a brother who builds the common good and solidarity, so that all people of future generations on Earth can live with dignity, and with the same duties. and rights.

“It is never too late to come to your senses, and join humanity, that humanity that wishes to live in justice, in brotherhood and in peace. The war that you have started is an irresponsible act that hurts humanity “

War destroys, sows hatred and divides peoples for centuries, until they can unite again and live in cooperation.

 Would it not be more beneficial to use the money from sophisticated weapons (today used for death and terror), to cover the needs of the world’s forgotten people, and for the construction of more houses, schools, hospitals, and for the access to drinking water for all?

 I have always believed that every human being is my brother, is my sister. How can I convince you, brother Putin, to stop the war and stop the slaughter of innocent citizens?

I ask you please, dear Vladimir: stop the war, renounce the dictatorship, lies, false appearances and dualities.

Let us all be lovers of the truth, fair and supportive together!

May the Creator God enlighten all the leaders of our planet Earth, so that they can live in brotherhood, in equal rights and in freedom, that is, in the ideals of human dignity and human rights.