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Debate series Peace Memorandum

In November 2025, the Protestant Church published a new , which was already accompanied by fierce controversy during the drafting process. It is not surprising that fundamental lines of tension have emerged. The serious questions about war and peace are controversial - and rightly so, and not just among Christians.

Against this backdrop, the Peace Academy blog accompanies two events (in and ) to discuss the peace ethics perspectives of the memorandum "" and brings peace and conflict research into conversation with committed members of the Protestant church. In the "Peace Memorandum Debate Series", the contributions and perspectives of this event will be made visible in commentaries with strong positions. What understanding of peace is the memorandum based on? Who is "protected from violence" and which forms of violence are taken into account? How can peace studies perspectives (e.g. peace logic, peace education, civil conflict transformation) shed light on the controversies? The contributions and comments will be published successively in order to enable mutual references between the participants.

Cover picture with the inscription "Debate Series Peace Memorandum". In the background, 3 editions of the peace memorandum superimposed. On it stylized peace dove and title: "World in disorder - Just peace in view". "Protestant peace ethics in the face of new challenges" EKD Evangelical Church in Germany. Above Logo of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate
Just peace, church and state: A political science perspective on the EKD Peace Memorandum 2025

By Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, 2 March 2026 - How does the EKD Peace Memorandum relate to the state and what consequences does this have for its argumentation? In this political science analysis, Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, Managing Director of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, comes to three central findings: 1. the peace memorandum binds itself to the state in terms of peace ethics without reflecting on its dubious record with regard to just peace 2. it makes liberal democracy the starting point of a chain of justification without thinking through the consequences of its current crisis. 3. it emphasizes the importance of state sovereignty and territorial integrity without discussing the inherent tension with the right to self-determination.

Cover picture with the inscription "Debate Series Peace Memorandum". In the background, 3 editions of the peace memorandum superimposed. On it stylized peace dove and title: "World in disorder - Just peace in view". "Protestant peace ethics in the face of new challenges" EKD Evangelical Church in Germany. Above Logo of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate
Effective publicity? How can we increase the chances of the peace memorandum being heard by the public?

By Gerhard Vowe, February 6, 2026, How can we increase the chance that the message of Just Peace will be heard? That it will be publicly noticed, discussed, remembered, considered? My answer: Every message has a hard time these days. Because the range of messages on offer is increasing and increasing, and so the attention of the addressees is becoming increasingly scarce. But: The chance of being heard could be greater if the church were to commit itself more to three rules of the game according to which public resonance is fought for.

Cover picture with the inscription "Debate Series Peace Memorandum". In the background, 3 editions of the peace memorandum superimposed. On it stylized peace dove and title: "World in disorder - Just peace in view". "Protestant peace ethics in the face of new challenges" EKD Evangelical Church in Germany. Above Logo of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate
More dissent for just peace - questions and impulses for the necessary peace ethics debate

By Christoph Picker and Christoph Weller, January 28, 2026 - Christoph Picker, Director of the Protestant Academy of the Palatinate, and Christoph Weller, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Augsburg, take up the invitation of the Peace Memorandum to examine positions and formulate questions. In the following, they focus on twelve topics that require further discussion and in which the recognition of dissent could make a valuable contribution to peace. The questions are intended to stimulate and structure the debate. They open a blog series of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate and invite you to participate.