This module will provide a brief summary of the current teachings of the Church on war and peace and will introduce the landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) and the series of World Day of Peace Messages.

4.1 Introducing Catholic Social Teaching on Peace

The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council introduces the main elements of the Catholic peace tradition in the following way:

"There are two strands historically running through the Catholic Church's responses to questions on the use of force: what we would call today a 'pacifist' or non-violent tradition, and the 'just war' tradition.

As a rule, the pacifist tradition, exemplified especially in the religious orders, seeks the maintenance of peace using non-violent means. Based on Gospel values and the experience of national and global violence, pacifism regards war as being unthinkable and not to be justified. The just war tradition, on the other hand, opposes the use of force for similar reasons, but concedes that engagement in war may be justified in certain circumstances, under strict moral conditions and only as a last resort, in order to protect the innocent or to restore justice. The case of East Timor is a perfect example.

Though these traditions are strictly logically incompatible, they have co-existed over the centuries. While there is often disagreement between them on specific issues, there are also areas of strong convergence. For example, in response to emerging forms of warfare involving the threat of mass destruction, the pacifist and just war traditions often find themselves as one in calling for dialogue and the art of diplomacy as a means for avoiding the use of force.

It is also important to understand that the Church's teachings on war and peace have changed greatly over time and will continue to do so in response to new situations. The just war theory, which was formalized in the 5th Century by St Augustine, has continued to evolve as a moral framework for considering the changing nature and circumstances of conflict and, when it is acceptable, to engage in war as a response to aggression.

Today, questions have been raised about the adequacy of the 'just war' theory in responding to emerging forms of aggression which include ethnic cleansing and global terrorism. Would the suspected possession of weapons of mass destruction by so-called 'rogue' states constitute a certain threat or even an actual aggression that would justify the use of force? Could pre-emptive military action be justified?

Recent terrorist acts and the ensuing 'war on terror' may present challenges for aspects of this theory. But the strict moral requirements of this tradition continue to emphasize that war must remain a last resort and that peaceful and diplomatic means must be used to avoid it. In response to the unfolding events in the Persian Gulf, the Church has called for the peaceful resolution of differences and stated that notions of "preventive war" and "pre-emptive strikes" do not belong to a definition of a just war and would not constitute a legitimate use of force.

Over the centuries the views of Christians on issues of war and peace have diverged widely. In the face of current world events, people hold many different opinions and views on circumstances surrounding the crisis in Iraq. We must respect the right of others to form their own conscientious views on this matter. As Christians and as Catholics, however, it is important that our views and our judgments on these world events are informed by Church teaching and the voice of Church leaders at this time".

For further explanation of current Church teaching as set out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, see: http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/publications/
positionpapers/2003_2_25the_church_speaks_on_war_and_peace.html


For a more detailed explanation of the development of the 'just war' theory, see:
http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/publications/documentation/
the_struggle_to_develop_a_just_war_tradition_in_the_west.html



4.2 World Day of Peace Message for 2003

Every year since 1968, it has been a tradition for the Pope to deliver a Message for the World Day of Prayer for Peace (1 January). These Messages are wide-ranging and provide an important insight into the development of the Vatican's evolving concerns and thinking on peace issues.

For a full list of the Messages and links to their texts in full see:
http://www.fju.edu.tw/homepage2/peace/WorldDayofPeace.htm
or http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/peace/index.htm (1979 - 2003) and http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/messages/peace/index.htm (1968 - 1978)

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). Pope John Paul II used the occasion of the World Day of Peace to stress the continuing importance of this document.

John Paul notes that Pacem in Terris was addressed to a deeply divided world, and "spoke to everyone of their belonging to the one human family, and shone a light on the shared aspiration of people everywhere to live in security, justice and hope for the future" (WDP 2003, n 3). It stressed four 'pillars of peace': truth, justice, love and freedom.

Pope John XXIII realized that the growing awareness of human rights had the potential to change history. He saw the road to peace in the defence and promotion of basic human rights. History has shown that he was right: human rights movements have been instrumental in overthrowing dictatorial forms of government in many parts of the world.

Because the world was already becoming more interdependent and global, Pope John believed that the common good of humanity had to be worked out on the international plane. He looked with hope at the United Nations for its potential to become an international public authority. Unfortunately this potential has not been fully realized. Not only is there 'much hesitation in the international community about the obligation to respect and implement human rights' but there is also an 'arbitrary picking and choosing [between rights] which can lead to rationalizing forms of discrimination and injustice' (WDP 2003, n 5). There has been more emphasis on rights than their corresponding duties.

It is time to work for "a new constitutional organization of the human family", but this doesn't mean creating a global super-State. We must continue and deepening "processes already in place to meet the almost universal demand for participatory ways of exercising political authority, even international political authority, and for transparency and accountability at every level of public life" (WDP 2003, n6)

There is an unbreakable bond between the work of peace and respect for the truth. Commitments made must be honored, and promises to the poor should be considered particularly binding. The loss of trust can lead to hopelessness, and the existence of trust in international relations is a form of social capital of fundamental value.

Juridical, political and economic structures and mechanisms of peace are needed, but these must be derived from "the accumulated wisdom and experience of innumerable gestures of peace made by men and women throughout history" (WDP 2003, n 9). Gestures of peace are the work of the heart and of reason and they create a tradition and a culture of peace.

Religion has a role in fostering gestures of peace, especially through attention to God, fostering human solidarity, and spreading a spirituality and a culture of peace.

For the full text of the World Day of Peace for 2003 see:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/peace/documents/
hf_jp-ii_mes_20021217_xxxvi-world-day-for-peace_en.html



4.3 Pacem in Terris Revisited

4.3.1 Pacem in Terris, Then and Now

Recently the Holy See decided to republish the 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris (peace on earth) because it is still so relevant to world peace today.

The Zenit news service (Code: ZE03091404) reports that an introduction to the new edition was written by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state. It is followed by a presentation by Archbishop Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and then by John Paul II's Message for the 2003 World Day of Peace.

A "widespread feeling of fear" is the link between the two periods of history separated by four decades, Cardinal Sodano says in the preface. Forty years ago, there was fear over the arms race and nuclear threat. Today, fear is due to the "phenomenon of terrorism evidenced in all its horror," he writes.

Archbishop Martino points out other elements in Pacem in Terris that are important today, such as the waste of resources used in arms, the interdependence of nations, the relations of exploitation between the world's North and South, and the need to reinforce the United Nations.

"Forty years later, John XXIII's words are proposed again with the unaltered force of truth," Archbishop Martino writes. "If a certain political fundamentalism prevailed then, today there is a risk of fueling forms of religious fundamentalism which alter the authentic face of religion, turning it into an instrument of struggle of man against other men."

"If 40 years ago peace between nations was endangered by opposing blocs," he adds, "today this can be so because of the lack of dialogue between states and peoples."


4.3.2 Reflecting on Pacem in Terris in Asia Today

In August 2003 A Symposium on Our Paths to Peace Today was held in Manila to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pacem in Terris. The Symposium was organized by the Office for Human Development of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences.

Fr Sebastian Painadath SJ gave significant inputs assisting the group to reflect on how the encyclical spoke, and continues to speak, to the peoples of Asia.

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, suggested that 'prayer' could be another pillar of peace today while Fr Sebastian suggested that in Asia 'dialogue' was another pillar of peace. He explained that dialogue involves listening to others, sharing, especially our lived experiences, working together for peace and justice; praying together, that is 'waking up to the Divine together with other believers'.

Interpreting Pacem in Terris' four pillars from a dialogical perspective, Fr Sebastian suggested that truth requires awareness that we are all co-pilgrims. Love calls us to respect the 'otherness' of the 'other' including their religious 'otherness'. Justice means recognizing the integral human welfare with others. It is a common search to understand the deeper dimensions of rights and duties. Freedom includes the freedom to explore the mystery of God, to explore with the 'other', and to explore areas of freedom in human communities.

Drawing on the reflections and discussion by participants, it was suggested that some elements of an Asian approach to the question of paths to peace today could include dialogue, contemplation, compassion and harmony.

Reflecting on contemplation, it was felt that Asian people have a sensitivity to the Mystery and universal immanence of God, and that they express the experience of God's presence more symbolically than analytically.

The concept of compassion encompasses respecting the 'otherness' of the 'other' and respecting the 'other' as part of oneself too. It involves feeling with the other, especially the weak and the elderly.

The concept of harmony stresses the wholistic view of reality of Asian peoples. The divine, the cosmic and the human are complementary. People must live in harmony with one another and with creation.

The full text of Pacem in Terris can be found at:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_11041963_pacem_en.html

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