"I have always been in favor of nonviolence"

Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi, former Bishop of Ivrea, participated in the "Relay for Humanity" peace march on May 7th, 2023. Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi is 99 years old and has witnessed the horrors of World War II. He was a protagonist, along with Don Tonino Bello, of the peace march in Sarajevo in 1992 and has been a reference for the entire Italian and international pacifist movement for his courage and determination. In his speech, Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi took a stance in favor of nonviolence. "I have always been in favor of nonviolence", he said to the crowd who applauded him. Speaking for peace in Ukraine, he identified three needs:

- the culture of nonviolence;

- the perseverance of diplomacy;

- the creation of a peacekeeping force.

The participation of Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi in the Relay for Humanity moved Michele Santoro, a well-known Italian television host who organized the Relay for Humanity by designing a route that touched all of Italy, from north to south, and received significant participation from citizens and pacifists