It began with Peter. At the moment of Christ's arrest at Gethsemane, Peter had drawn his sword. It had been a natural reaction. Whoever is attacked unjustly has the right to defend himself. And he also has the right to defend another innocent person. However, Christ said to Peter: "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." And Peter understood. He understood up to his last breath that neither he nor his brothers could fight with the sword; because the kingdom to which he had been called had to be won with the power of love, and with the power of truth, and only in this way ..... I think, dear Brothers and Sisters, that precisely at this moment we are on this very path.
Pope John Paul II, February 23 1980
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