Pacem in terris

For the Communist-era Czechoslovakian organization, seeAssociation of Catholic Clergy Pacem in Terris.

Pacem in terris Latinfor 'Peace on Earth' EncyclicalofPopeJohn XXIII
Signature date	11 April 1963
Subject	That peace between all peoples must be based on truth, justice, love and freedom
Number	8 of 8 of the pontificate
Text	In Latin In English

Pacem in terris(lit. 'Peace on Earth') is a papalencyclicalissued byPope John XXIIIon 11 April 1963, on the rights and obligations of people and their states, as well as proper interstate relations. It emphasizeshuman dignityandhuman equalityin endorsingwomen's rights,nuclear nonproliferationand theUnited Nations.

It was the last encyclical drafted by the pope, who was diagnosed withcancerin September 1962 and died two months after its completion. BiographerPeter Hebblethwaitecalled it his "last will and testament".Published onHoly Thursday,John called it hisEastergift.

Due to its importance and popularity,Pacem in terrisis held in the UN archives.

Title

The full title of the encyclical isOn Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty.The short titlePacem in terrisis derived from theopening wordsof the encyclical, as is customary with papal documents:

Pacem in terris, quam homines universi cupidissime quovis tempore appetiverunt, condi confirmarique non posse constat, nisi ordine, quem Deus constituit, sancte servato.

( "Peace on earth, for which all men of every era have most eagerly yearned, cannot be firmly established unless the order which God laid down is dutifully observed." )

History

German Stamp 1969

Pacem in terriswas the first encyclical that a pope addressed to "all men of good will", rather than only toCatholics,quoting the praise to God as said by the heavenly army above the manger of Bethlehem (LatinVulgate:in terra pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis,Luke2:14;English translation:2:13–14).Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School,Mary Ann Glendon,interprets this to mean, "He was insisting that the responsibility for setting conditions for peace does not just belong to the great and powerful of the world—it belongs to each and every one of us."In theological terms, it marked a major shift in papal teaching from reliance on classical scholastic categories of natural law to a more inductive approach based on the signs of the times.

In this work, John XXIII reacted to the political situation in the middle of theCold War.Coming just months after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, during which the Vatican served as an intermediary between the White House and the Kremlin,the document also reflected the Pope's experience of 1960 in trying to resolve difficulties arising out of the four-power occupation of Berlin. The "peace encyclical" was issued only two years after the erection of theBerlin Wall.It also draws on Pope John's reading ofSaint Augustine'sThe City of GodandThomas Aquinas' view of Eternal Law.In this it echoes the Gospel's core values and principles of patristic and medieval thought, while reflecting the historical period in which it was written.

Sociologist MonsignorPietro Pavanand a small group of theologians helped draft it.In Pavan's viewPacem in terriswould present the teachings ofLeo XIIIon the eternal law, "in light of the changing tides of history, and allow them to resonate with a much wider audience".

The Pope explains in this encyclical that conflicts "should not be resolved by recourse to arms, but rather by negotiation". He further emphasizes the importance of respect ofhuman rightsas an essential consequence of theChristianunderstanding of men. He clearly establishes "that every man has theright to life,tobodily integrity,and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life. "

Pacem in terrisis an extended reflection on the moral order. The document is divided into four sections.

• The first section of the encyclical establishes the relationship between individuals and humankind, encompassing the issues of human rights and moral duties.
• The second section addresses the relationship between man and state, dwelling on the collective authority of the latter.
• The third section establishes the need for equality amongst nations and the need for the state to be subject to rights and duties that the individual must abide by.
• The final section presents the need for greater relations between nations, thus resulting in collective states assisting other states. The encyclical ends with the urging of Catholics to assist non-Christians and non-Catholics in political and social aspects.

Reception

“Pacem in Terris was more than an encyclical—it was an event," recalls Glendon. Pacem in Terriswas the first papal encyclical published in its entirety in theNew York Times.TheWashington Postsaid, "Pacem in terrisis not just the voice of an old priest, nor just that of an ancient Church; it is the voice of the conscience of the world. "According to the periodicalCatholic World Report,"Two years later, it was the subject of a conference at the United Nations attended by over 2,000 statespersons and scholars."

Legacy

F. Russell Hittingerdescribes the encyclical "as a kind of magna carta of the Catholic Church's position on human rights and natural law".Pope John XXIII's 1963 encyclicalPacem in terris( "Peace on Earth" ) radically affected Catholic social teaching not only on war and peace, but on church-state relations, women's rights, religious freedom, international relations and other major issues. Fr.J. Bryan HehircalledPacem in terris"a pivotal text in [papal] encyclical history" that played a major role in the development of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom and its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, and on Pope John Paul II's encyclicalCentesimus annus( "The Hundredth Year" ), which marked the centennial of Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical on labor,Rerum Novarum.It also influenced the 1965Declaration on Religious Freedom(Dignitatis humanae).

In commemoration of this encyclical, the annualPacem in Terris Peace and Freedom awardwas instituted in 1964, first by theRoman Catholic Diocese of Davenportand later by theQuad CitiesPacem in Terris Coalition.

During an event held on 6 May 2019, in Bulgaria, where John XXIII had gained a reputation for protecting Jews when serving as the country's Vatican representative,Pope Francis invoked the encyclical as a "code of conduct" for peace between Catholics and other religions.

See also

• List of encyclicals of Pope John XXIII
• Pacem in TerrisAward
• Tranquillitas ordinis
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Further reading

• Hollenbach, David. "Pacem in Terris and human rights."Journal of Catholic Social Thought10.1 (2013): 5–15.https://doi.org/10.5840/jcathsoc20131012

External links

• English text
• Original Latin text
• "What we are for",Time Magazine,1963.
• Pacem in Terris
• "An Appeal to the Heart of Humanity",Montreal Gazette,April 13, 1963