Justice and peace need to embrace

IN his powerful address at the opening of Just Festival earlier this month, the Rt Rev Dr John Armes, the Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh, explored some themes that are key for the Festival - ones that have resonated strongly over the past few weeks.

He declared: "Peace and justice belong together – like the old name of this festival that speaks of peace and the new name that speaks of justice. Without justice there cannot be peace, not real peace, not the deep peace of shalom, salaam, [shanti]; the peace in which people live together and thrive together – in which ‘the wolf lies down with the lamb and the little child feeds them’, as the Hebrew Scriptures put it.

"Yet justice alone is not the same as peace..."

Read the full address here.

Dr Armes is chairing the conversation on 'A Good Society' at 6pm, Tuesday 20th August, in the hall at St John's Church. Tickets are £5 and may be purchased from the cash-only box office at the venue (no. 127).