Forgiveness and justice can seem like competing responses to wrongdoing: one asks us to move beyond harm, while the other demands accountability. But what if forgiveness can actually help repair the relationships that justice seeks to restore?

ABSTRACT: Restorative justice is primarily concerned with addressing harm, fostering dialogue, and repairing relationships rather than pursuing forgiveness or reconciliation as explicit objectives. Nevertheless, restorative processes create a unique moral space in which these responses may emerge in meaningful and authentic ways. This presentation explores the role of forgiveness within restorative justice by arguing that forgiveness can be understood as a moral virtue grounded in virtue ethics and moral psychology.

Rather than conceiving forgiveness as a private emotional response or an unconditional moral duty, the presentation examines it as an ethical practice characterized by the suspension of blame, the deliberate choice to overcome the harm suffered, and a commitment to rebuilding damaged relationships. From this perspective, forgiveness is not opposed to justice; instead, it complements restorative justice by fostering moral repair, reconciliation, and renewed interpersonal trust.

Drawing on insights from restorative justice theory, virtue ethics, and moral psychology, the presentation highlights how forgiveness represents a form of ethical engagement and relational responsibility that requires openness to the other while respecting the experiences of victims and the accountability of offenders. It argues that restorative justice provides a particularly fertile context for cultivating this virtue because it promotes dialogue, recognition, responsibility, and the possibility of moral transformation.

Ultimately, the presentation suggests that understanding forgiveness as a moral virtue enriches both the theoretical foundations and the practical aspirations of restorative justice, offering a deeper account of how justice can contribute not only to repairing harm but also to restoring the moral relationships that make human flourishing possible.

Chiara Palazzolo is a professor of ethics in the Department of Engineering and Industrial Systems at Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, and a research supervisor at the university’s Center for Virtues and Values. Her teaching focuses on professional ethics and the relationship between professional practice and moral character.

Her research interests include virtue ethics, moral character, the philosophy of forgiveness, and restorative justice. A classical musician as well as a philosopher, Palazzolo also studies ethics and moral character in artistic and musical contexts. Her most recent work includes "The Moral Nature of Forgiveness between Virtue Ethics and Moral Psychology" published in Paradigmi in 2025.