Pacem in terris (encyclical)
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Pacem in terris , on peace among all peoples in truth, justice, love and freedom is an encyclical of Pope John XXIII. which was released on April 11, 1963.
The Pope laid the foundation for this encyclical in his apostolic letter Il religioso convegno . In Pacem in Terris , John XXIII reacted. on the global political situation at that time: two years after the Berlin Wall was erected and only a few months after the Cuban Missile Crisis - in the middle of the Cold War - Johannes XXIII. in his encyclical that conflicts “should not be settled through armed violence, but through contracts and negotiations”.
Furthermore, John XXIII emphasized. the importance of respect for human rights as a necessary consequence of the Christian understanding of man. He stated that “man has the right to life, to the integrity of the body and to the appropriate means of an appropriate lifestyle.” In endorsing and supporting the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the Pope integrated the concept of inalienable human rights and fundamental freedoms in Catholic social teaching .
In addition, Pacem in Terris was the first encyclical in which a Pope addressed not only the Roman Catholic Church , but “to all people of good will”. Pacem in Terris was also the last of Pope John XXIII. drafted encyclical. Just two months after its publication, John XXIII died.
In the Incipit Pacem in Terris , the Pope takes a passage from the Gospel of Luke ( Lk 2.14 EU ):
"Pacem in terris, quam homines universi cupidissime quovis tempore appetiverunt, condi confirmarique non posse constat, nisi ordine, quem Deus constituit, sancte servato."
"The peace on earth, for which all people at all times longed for, can only be established and secured if the order set by God is carefully observed."
