ABSTRACT
The Catholic Church is not one of the historic peace churches – a group that includes the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonites, the Amish and the Quakers. In fact, many are inclined, whether fairly or unfairly, to identify the Catholic Church with the violent excesses of the Crusades, European imperialism and totalitarian rulers such as Spain’s Francisco Franco. But in spite of the Church’s association with religiously sanctioned military campaigns, militaristic foreign policies and even certain strong-armed dictators, a number of Catholics rank among the most widely recognized peacemakers in the Christian tradition: St. Martin of Tours, St. Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day, Franz Jägerstätter, Daniel Berrigan and Mother Teresa, to name just a few.
