An opponent is never an enemy

When conflicts are expressed and resolved through political action, they do not erupt into violence and war.

"There are those who think that politics is an art learned without preparation, practiced without skill, and implemented with cunning. It is also widely believed that common morality does not apply to politics, and there is often talk of two moralities: one for private relationships, and the other (which is neither moral nor moralizable) for public life.
My long and painful experience, however, leads me to conceive of politics as saturated with ethics, inspired by love for one's neighbor, ennobled by the purpose of the common good."
These are words written by Luigi Sturzo (photo) in 1948. A warning to apply moral rules to political life as well, lest it become a free-for-all where everything is permitted, including hatred, dissembling, plotting, and demonizing one's adversary. If, even within the political sphere, we made an effort to live transparently, to adopt correct behavior, and to respect our adversaries, politics would perhaps be more attractive to women and young people, who are currently so absent not only from voter turnout but also from government leadership roles. A war-torn and overly polarized politics, in which the adversary is viewed as an enemy to be defeated, does not excite Christians, young people, and women, as evidenced by the data collected in recent elections.

We must invest in the strength of dialogue, while acknowledging that dialogue does not equate to a shared vision, just as conflict does not equate to violence, and respect does not equate to surrender or acquiescence.
On this basis, we must do everything we can to support those politicians and political cultures that, while inspired by healthy dialogue, critical thinking, and the pluralism necessary for democracy, eschew gratuitous aggression and constant confrontation.

In Italy, we are coming off thirty years of polarization and Manichaeism: first anti-Berlusconism, now anti-Melonism. A dangerous personalization that has flattened the debate and favored the emergence of coalitions largely based on demonizing the adversary. But elections or country change cannot be won by delegitimizing individuals.
What is needed is a ruling class that instills a spirit of responsibility and maturity in politics, transcending the "stadium-like" mode of cheering. Let us not be discouraged: politicians and political cultures that view politics as a service, adopt the method of mediation against all forms of fundamentalism and fanaticism, and respect their adversaries, even while opposing their ideas, exist and are sources of light in a somewhat "tribal" context. The key is to identify these politicians and these political cultures and strongly support them, without indulging in defeatism or pessimistic generalizations.

To re-motivate Christians to take an interest in politics and embrace this form of service, without being frightened by the climate of hatred that sometimes characterizes it, we must recreate community contexts that foster various vocations. Only the dimension of community life, within the various intermediate bodies, brings out talents and trains them for the common good, teamwork, the strain of relationships, conflict, and selfless service. Democracy needs more vibrant political parties, unions, churches, associations, and cooperatives, rooted in the local community and inclusive of young people and women, to become the breeding ground for tomorrow's ruling class.

Finally, in addition to seeking to "humanize" politics, we must train people who are able to tolerate its harshness and competitiveness, with realism. It hurts the heart that nearly 60% of practicing Catholics swell with abstentionism... where is their courage, their participation in the fate of the world, and their generosity? The lack of political offerings is indisputable, but it's no excuse for not voting or not making oneself available.
To change reality, you have to "be there" and do your part. Tina Anselmi already said so.

If you want peace, you have to build it.

War has always sought to cast its dark shadow over humanity. The twentieth century, with the development of the industrialization of death, transformed the tragedy of soldiers into a tragedy of peoples. In the villages of Europe and in the cities destroyed by bombings, in the devastated countryside, millions of civilians became targets.
Deportations and genocide characterized the Second World War. Since then, the face of war is not only reflected in that of the combatant, but also in that of the child, the mother, the defenseless elderly.

This is what is happening today, in Kiev, in Gaza. (…) The First World War left at least 16 million dead, half of them civilians, in addition to twenty million wounded and maimed. The Second World War, extended to the Pacific front, is estimated to have seen seventy million deaths. How is it possible that all this could have happened and is expected to happen again?
How many more deaths will it take before we stop looking at war as a tool to resolve disputes between states, and instead use it for the arbitrary desire to dominate other peoples? (…) This painful scenario, however, has antidotes. Peace is not the fruit of resignation in the face of great tragedies.

But of courageous initiatives, of courageous people. It must be reaffirmed with determination: the sovereignty of a people is not expressed in the right to wage war on its neighbor.
A nation's desire to succeed does not translate into producing injustice. A war of aggression is a crime. The lesson of Nuremberg must be reaffirmed unwaveringly: "If we can impose the idea that a war of aggression is the direct route to a prison cell and not to glory, we will have taken a step toward making peace more secure." These are the words of Robert Jackson, prosecutor of that Tribunal.
It is up to us, it is up to us too. It is up to our peoples, united in the suffering of responsibility for the last world war, and capable today of being united in building a future of peace and progress.

Monica Canalis
Focus
NP December 2025