The University of Hamburg department of peace church theology hosted “Creating Peace Without Weapons? There Is No Way to Peace Along the Way of Security” April 29 in Hamburg, Germany. Department chair Fernando Enns, a Mennonite theologian, moderated a panel discussion on the relationship of peace and security in light of the war in Ukraine and the suffering of people in every war.

Panel participants included Church and Peace chair Antje Heider-Rottwilm, Hamburg political scientist Sabine Jaberg and Ralf Becker, coordinator of the Rethinking Security initiative.

German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer asked “How will peace be?” at a 1934 ecumenical conference. He pointed out the confusion between security and peace, with the conviction that there is no way to peace on the way to security.

“Demanding security means having mistrust, and this mistrust in turn breeds war,” he said. “Looking for security means wanting to protect yourself.”