A Biblical Course for Disarming Violence

In his Apostolic Letter “Drawing New Maps of Hope” (marking the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis), Pope Leo XIV exhorts us to “educate in non-violent languages.” He explicitly calls upon Catholic educational institutions to strive to “disarm the word” so that it no longer functions like a bomb. Consequently, it is vital for a Faculty of Theology to establish the necessary tools to defuse the Word. A Catholic education must teach students “to lay down the weapons of aggressive speech and the judging gaze, learning instead the language of mercy and reconciled justice.” From February 19 to May 28, 2026, this high-level course will be held every Thursday, available both in person and online. The program offers an in-depth conceptual and theoretical exploration of the use of the Bible to justify violence. In addition to the faculty of the Theological Faculty of Emilia-Romagna, the course features distinguished scholars from several prestigious institutions, including: the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Urbaniana University, the Waldensian Faculty of Theology in Rome, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, the University of Bologna (Unibo), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Unive), and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. To learn more, please download the programme in PDF here.