Inter Arma Caritas

When Henri Dunant, in 1863, first introduced the Red Cross, he gave the organisation the following motto: INTER ARMA CARITAS, which translates into ‘In war, charity’. What later followed, not least the events of the Second World War, awakens a longing to expand this motto into POST ARMA CARITAS, ‘Following war, charity’. And in the future, the human race may possibly attain what could be expressed as: PRO ARMIS CARITAS, ‘Instead of arms, charity’.” (The closing words of Folke Bernadotte’s book Instead of Arms.) The book Instead of Arms, written by Bernadotte near the end of his life, was published only days before he was killed. It is widely regarded as his testament, but sadly, his hopes for a better future have not yet materialized 70 years later.

Henrik Dahlgren