Mariachiara Giorda speaks at Subiaco conference

Mariachiara Giorda, a professor of the history of religions at Roma Tre University, addressed the Religions and Peace conference in Subiaco. The event was organized by the Tavolo Sublacense della Pace e della Nonviolenza in collaboration with Roma Tre University, the local municipality, and the international ShaRP network.

Giorda argued that every religious tradition in human history has produced both rhetoric and practices of war and peace within the same contexts. She stated that attempting to rank religions by how peaceful or violent they are is a mistake. Instead, she noted that no religion is exempt from a complex relationship with both conflict and peace.

Giorda suggested that it is more important to distinguish between wars actually motivated by religion and conflicts where religion is merely used as a justification. She explained that religions are deeply intertwined with politics, culture, society, and the economy, making it an error to view religion as separate from the real world.