Pacem in terris

Pacem in terris (lit. Peace on Earth) was a

papal encyclical issued by Pope John XXIII
on 11 April 1963 on the rights and
obligations of individuals and of the state,
as well as the proper relations between
states. It emphasized human dignity and
equality among all people, and made
mention of issues such as the rights of
women, nuclear non-proliferation, and the
United Nations, all of which it endorsed. It
was the last encyclical drafted by John
XXIII, who had been diagnosed with cancer
in September 1962 and died two months
after the encyclical's completion.
Biographer Peter Hebblethwaite called it
Pope John's "last will and testament".[1]
Published on Holy Thursday, the Pope
called it his "Easter gift".
 Pacem in terris
Latin: Peace on Earth
Encyclical letter of Pope John XXIII

Date 11 April 1963

Argument That peace between all

peoples must be based
on truth, justice, love
and freedom

Encyclical number 8 of 8 of the pontificate

Text In Latin
In English

Due to her importance and popularity,

Pacem in Terris is deposited at the UN
archives.

Title
The full title of the encyclical is On
Establishing Universal Peace in Truth,
Justice, Charity and Liberty. The short title
Pacem in terris is derived from the opening
words of 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 terris was the first encyclical that
a pope addressed to "all men of good will",
rather than only to Catholics, quote of the
praise to God said by the heavenly army
above the manger of Bethlehem (Latin
Vulgate: in terra pax in hominibus bonae
voluntatis, Luke 2:14 ; English translation:
2:13-14 ).[2] 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."[3] 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.[4]

In this work, John XXIII reacted to the

political situation in the middle of the Cold
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,[5] the document also reflected the
Pope's experience of 1960 in trying to
resolve difficulties arising out the four-
power occupation of Berlin. The "peace
encyclical" was issued only two years after
the erection of the Berlin Wall. It also
draws on Pope John's reading of Saint
Augustine's The City of God and Thomas
Aquinas' view of Eternal Law.[6] 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.[7]

Sociologist Monsignor Pietro Pavan and a

small group of theologians helped draft
it.[8] In Pavan’s view Pacem in terris would
present the teachings of Leo XIII on the
eternal law, "in light of the changing tides
of history, and allow them to resonate with
a much wider audience".[6]
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 of human rights as
an essential consequence of the Christian
understanding of men and nuclear
disarmament. He clearly establishes
"...That every man has the right to life, to
bodily integrity, and to the means which
are suitable for the proper development of
life..."

Pacem in terris is 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.[3]Pacem in Terris was the first
papal encyclical published in its entirety in
the New York Times.[9] The Washington
Post said, "Pacem in terris is 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.” [3] Two years
later, it was the subject of a conference at
the United Nations attended by over 2,000
statespersons and scholars.[3]

Legacy
F. Russell Hittinger describes the
encyclical "as a kind of magna carta of the
Catholic Church’s position on human rights
and natural law".[6] Pope John XXIII's 1963
encyclical Pacem 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 Hehir,
called Pacem 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
encyclical Centesimus annus ("The
Hundredth Year"), which marked the
centennial of Pope Leo XIII's 1891
encyclical on labor, Rerum Novarum.[4] It
also influenced the 1965 Declaration on
Religious Freedom (Dignitatis humanae).[4]
In commemoration of this encyclical, the
annual Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom
award was instituted in 1964, first by the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport and
later by the Quad Cities Pacem in Terris
Coalition.[10][11]

See also
Pacem in Terris Award
Tranquillitas Ordinis
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

References
1. Hebblethwaite, Peter (2010) [1st ed: John
XXIII: Pope of the Council (1984) ]. John
XXIII: Pope of the Century (abridged,
revised, and retitled ed.). London:
Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 4, 214, 232, 240,
241−251 . ISBN 978-1-441-18413-9. ISBN 1-
44118413-9.
2. Other translations did not follow the Latin
version or, as in the case of the CEI, have
stopped following it with the 1973 revised
edition of the Jerusalem Bible: compare the
Italian text of the encyclical's address and
the different translation subsequently
introduced by the Italian bishops .
3. Ziegler, J.J., "Pacem in Terris at 50", The
Catholic World Report, June 14, 2013
4. Filteau, Jerry. "Experts: 'Pacem in Terris'
had radical impact on church teaching",
National Catholic Reporter, Apr. 18, 2013
5. Adkins, Jason. "Catholic Spirit: Of Popes,
Presidents and Peace", Minnesota Catholic
Conference, April 26, 2012
6. Hittinger, Russell. "Quinquagesimo Ante:
Reflections on Pacem in Terris Fifty Years
Later", The Global Quest for Tranquillitas
Ordinis. Pacem in Terris, Fifty Years Later
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Acta
18, 2013
7. Sanchez Sorondo, Marcelo. "The
Magnitude of 'Walking in the Truth' (3 Jn 1)",
The Global Quest for Tranquillitas Ordinis.
Pacem in Terris, Fifty Years Later Pontifical
Academy of Social Sciences, Acta 18, 2013
8. Murphy, Francis X., "Cardinal Pietro
Pavan: inveterate optimist", America,
February 1996
9. Mannion, Gerard. "Pacem in Terris@50:
Gifts Old and New for Church and Society in
Recent Times", Pacem in Terris Conference
2013, Georgetown University
10. "Pacem In Terris" . Diocese of
Davenport. Archived from the original on
May 12, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
11. Arland-Fye, Barb (May 19, 2010). "Peace
activist Fr. John Dear to get Pacem in Terris
Award" . The Catholic Messenger.
Davenport, IA. Retrieved June 1, 2011.

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

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