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Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth) was a papal encyclical issued by Pope John XXIII on 11 April

1963 on nuclear non-proliferation. 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". Published on Holy
Thursday, Pope John called it his "Easter gift".

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

Pacem in terris was the first encyclical that a Pope addressed to "all men of good will", rather than
only to Catholics. 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 worldit 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 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, 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 St. Augustine's City of God and Thomas Aquinas' view of Eternal Law. In this it
echoes the Gospels core values and principles of patristic and medieval thought, while reflecting the
historical period in which it was written.

Sociologist Monsignor Pietro Pavan and a small group of theologians helped draft it. In Pavans
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". [

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. 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.

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