Courage and Commitment

Friar Vitale is co-author of the Declaration of Peace, a plan to encourage Congress to sign legislation that would end the war in Iraq. The Declaration has been endorsed by a coalition of over 1,400 peace and justice organizations as well as Religious groups.

A former Air Force pilot turned Franciscan peace activist, Friar Vitale founded Pace e Bene Nonviolence Services, which teaches nonviolence, conflict resolution and peacemaking for personal and social change. He also co-founded the nonviolent action campaign at the Nevada Test Site, in protest of nuclear testing and the use of nuclear weapons.

He has recently spent five and a half months in Crisp County Jail in Georgia for going under the fence at the School of the Americas, where the training of Latin American military has produced torture and mayhem in Central America. Friar Vitale puts his body on the line.

Interviewer Jochen Strack is Program Associate with the American Friends Service Committee in Los Angeles.

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Some questions for reflection:

What values drive you in your social and political actions?

What are you committed to in our society?

What takes courage for you in your life as a citizen of a nation?

Add your thoughts on the Reflections page.