by Ivan Efreaim A. Gozum
In our world today, cries for peace echo everywhere: from war-torn lands to divided communities, from social media debates to the silent struggles within our own hearts, where restlessness and anxiety often dwell. The world today makes it seem that conflict is the one that echoes. This is evident among nations fighting over borders, religions divided by fear and misunderstanding, and communities torn apart by inequality. Whenever we open the media to learn about the news, nations are in conflict over power and resources, and families are torn apart by different factors. These factors engender wounds in society that challenge individuals to find avenues for healing.
It is easy to see these as separate problems — political here, personal there, environmental elsewhere. But the truth, as Pope Francis reminds us, is that “everything is connected” (Laudato Si’, no. 91). The cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth are one and the same. Both are cries for peace, a peace that can only arise when we rediscover our interconnectedness. This vision, integral ecology, reminds us that everything is important. All are valuable. The violence we inflict on one another and the violence we inflict on the Earth spring from the same wounded spirit: the loss of relationship with God, with others, with creation, and with ourselves. To tear one thread is to damage the whole.
The path to peace, therefore, cannot be found merely in treaties or laws; it must be rooted in reconciliation, an inner, relational, and ecological healing that restores harmony to the whole fabric of life.
The Broken Web of Relationships
Human history is marked by division. Wars and conflicts continue to erupt — in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in the heart of Asia — often justified by differences in faith, race, or ideology. These wars, religious intolerance, and political rivalries often stem from a disordered sense of superiority and self-interest. On a larger scale, the suffering of the innocent and loss of human lives caused by these conflicts are already alarming and terrifying. However, beneath these global struggles lie deeper fractures: indifference toward the poor, inequality among nations, and the exploitation of natural resources in the name of progress.
Our age, driven by technology and consumerism, often forgets that progress without compassion leads to desolation. We seek to dominate rather than to dialogue, to possess rather than to share. The same attitude drives our ecological crisis; our exploitation of the Earth for profit and convenience mirrors how we exploit one another. When human hearts are divided, the Earth itself suffers; when our inner lives are restless, our relationships and environments become restless too. The Earth bears the marks of our greed: forests stripped bare, oceans choked with plastic, and the climate growing ever more unstable. Yet, these environmental wounds mirror our spiritual ones. The pollution of the soul leads to the pollution of creation.
Even on a smaller scale, we see the same pattern. Families break apart through selfishness, communities divide over pride, and individuals lose inner peace in the race for success. The same disconnection that fuels wars between nations also fuels conflict between friends and the restlessness within our hearts. Broken friendships, family conflicts, and indifference toward others are signs that peace has not yet taken root within. The pollution of the heart leads to the pollution of society and of nature. Healing, therefore, begins from within, from reconciliation with ourselves, with our neighbor, and with the Creator who entrusted this world to our care.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis laments this loss of genuine connection: “Isolation and withdrawal into one’s own interests are never the way to restore hope and bring about renewal” (no. 30). The healing of the world, then, requires that we heal the relationships that sustain it.
Integral Ecology: Seeing the Whole
Integral ecology invites us to see life not as a collection of separate issues, but as an interwoven whole. Social, cultural, economic, environmental, and spiritual realities are bound together like threads in a single tapestry. Tear one, and the rest unravel.
Integral ecology challenges us to move beyond an anthropocentric worldview, one that sees humanity as ruler and exploiter of nature, and to rediscover our vocation as caretakers. We are not owners of creation; we are its stewards. As stated in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This call is not a heed to dominate but a dominion through stewardship. It is an invitation to fulfill the thrust to be stewards of creation by showing responsibility for the things that are at hand. Therefore, every creature, every river, every breath of air reflects the love of the Creator and participates in His plan of communion.
When we exploit nature, we disrupt this divine harmony. But when we live responsibly, with gratitude and restraint, we participate in God’s ongoing act of creation. Caring for the environment becomes an act of worship, a visible sign of love for both God and neighbor.
As Pope Francis writes, “Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God” (Laudato Si’, no. 119). Ecology, therefore, is not just about the Earth; it is about relationships. It is about peace.
Ecology as a Path to Reconciliation
Reconciliation begins with awareness; the awareness that every act of love, every gesture of care, contributes to the healing of creation. When we reconcile with the Earth, we also learn to reconcile with one another.
Think of a community coming together to plant trees, clean a river, or rebuild after a disaster. These are not merely environmental actions; they are human acts of communion. They restore trust, cooperation, and hope. Ecology becomes a spiritual practice, a school of humility that teaches us to live simply and gratefully. For this reason, we can realize that true ecology is not just about planting trees or reducing waste; it is about cultivating the right relationships. To live in harmony with creation is to rediscover humility; to remember that we are not masters of the world, but stewards. Every act of care for the environment is also a spiritual act, a form of peacemaking. When we choose simplicity over excess, compassion over greed, we participate in healing the wounds of both Earth and humanity.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis calls for a “culture of encounter,” a way of life rooted in dialogue, compassion, and mutual recognition. He writes, “Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word ‘dialogue’” (no. 198). This is a way of living that respects differences and values others as they are. Ecology, at its deepest level, is an invitation to encounter.
The ecological crisis, then, is not just a scientific problem; it is a moral and relational one. To restore the Earth, we must first restore the art of dialogue: with God through prayer, with others through compassion, and with creation through respect. In this way, we meet God through the beauty of creation, through solidarity, and through meeting towards the truth. Inspired by this viewpoint, when we learn to see all life as sacred, we naturally move toward peace.
The Church’s Vision of Peace
The Catholic Church has always seen peace as more than the silence of guns or the absence of conflict. Peace (shalom) is a state of harmony, where justice reigns, relationships are healed, and creation flourishes in balance. This peace is reminded to us by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, during his first speech at Saint Peter’s Basilica, by saying, “It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.”
In this vision, peace is born from right relationships. As St. John Paul II once said, “Peace with God the Creator, peace with all of creation.” The Church’s social teaching links peace with justice, solidarity, and the common good. Pope Francis deepens this link through the lens of ecology: we cannot achieve peace among people if we destroy the planet that sustains them. It is a peace that extends from the personal to the planetary.
It is then important to be reminded that authentic social peace is hard to achieve unless we confront the structural causes of inequality and environmental degradation. In this light, working for peace means caring for creation, promoting human dignity, and fostering dialogue among religions and peoples. The Church calls each of us to be artisans of peace; to rebuild trust where there is suspicion, to sow hope where there is despair, and to restore balance where there is destruction.
Thus, the Church’s mission for peace includes both protecting the vulnerable and caring for the Earth. It is a mission that unites spirituality and action, faith and responsibility. To live as disciples of peace, we must learn to see creation not as a resource, but as a gift; not as a possession, but as a partner in our journey toward God.
Peace Begins Within
Amid all the global challenges, it is easy to feel powerless. Yet true peace always begins in the human heart. When we reconcile with ourselves, when we forgive, let go of resentment, and embrace gratitude, we begin to radiate peace outward. When we reconcile with our past, forgive others, and accept our own limitations, we open ourselves to the quiet harmony of God’s presence.
Inner peace transforms how we relate to others and how we live on this Earth. It makes us gentler, more attentive, more mindful of the sacredness of life. This interior harmony is itself an ecological act, because the peace that dwells within us naturally extends to how we treat creation. To live in peace with creation is to rediscover wonder: to look at the sky, the sea, and the faces around us and see the reflection of divine love. As we cultivate gratitude and simplicity, we find that peace is not an abstract ideal, but a daily practice of reverence and responsibility.
Through this inner peace, we can radiate social love. This social love moves us to think of great strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a ‘culture of care’ which permeates all of society. Peace with the Earth, then, is not just about external actions. It is about an inner conversion. It is a change of heart that recognizes the Earth and every person as a reflection of God’s goodness.
A Call to Live as One Family
To be “all brothers and sisters” means to recognize that every life is intertwined. The air we breathe, the food we eat, and the relationships we share are all part of one divine ecosystem of love. In this shared home, the wounds of one affect all. Yet so too, the healing of one brings hope to all. When a person chooses forgiveness, when a community chooses dialogue, when a society chooses sustainability, the world grows a little closer to peace.
Let us, then, walk this path together:
To seek peace with the Earth through care.
To seek peace with others through compassion.
To seek peace within through contemplation.
For in the end, there is no true peace with each other unless there is peace with the Earth. And there is no peace with the Earth unless there is peace with God. In the end, “Peace with the Earth, peace with each other” is not two separate goals but one sacred mission. It is the call to live in one common home entrusted to our care. And perhaps the first step toward this peace is simple: to pause, to breathe, to listen again to the heartbeat of creation, and to let it awaken in us a renewed love for God, for one another, and for our common home.
As Pope Leo XIV beautifully reminds us:
“Let us make summer an opportunity to care for others, to get to know each other, and to offer advice and a listening ear, for these are expressions of love, and that is something we all need. Let us do so with courage. In this way, through solidarity, in the sharing of faith and life, we will help to promote a culture of peace, helping those around us to overcome divisions and hostility and to build communion between individuals, peoples, and religions.”
May our hearts, our communities, and our planet be renewed in that peace which the world cannot give; the peace that flows from communion, from gratitude, and from love.
About the Writer,
Ivan Efreaim A. Gozum is a college instructor at the Institute of Religion of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and is now doing his Doctorate in Philosophy, major in Theology. He is also a research associate of the Research Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics (RCTRSE) at the same university. In addition, he holds a Master of Arts in Religious and Values Education degree from Holy Angel University, Angeles City, Pampanga. His research interests include family studies, medical humanities, artificial intelligence, Gabriel Marcel, Thomas Aquinas, and Karol Wojtyla. As an emerging scholar, he has presented his papers at local and international conferences and has published articles in academic journals, both here and abroad.