Pacem in Terris — John XXIII's Encyclical on Nuclear Disarmament
John XXIII published Pacem in Terris in April 1963, two months before his death and six months after the Cuban missile crisis. It is the first papal encyclical addressed not only to Catholics but to all men of good will, which is a small phrase with a large intention behind it. Its argument is built on rights rather than on order. It sets out a list — to life and a decent standard of living, to freedom of conscience and worship, to education, to work and just wages, to assemble and associate, to emigrate and immigrate, to take part in public life — and states that every right implies a corresponding duty in someone else. It says that women are entering public life and will not accept being treated as instruments, that colonised peoples are claiming their independence, and that both developments are to be welcomed. On war it goes further than any previous papal document: in an age of nuclear weapons it is contrary to reason to think that war is a fit instrument for repairing the violation of rights, and the arms race should be replaced by a mutual reduction verified by all parties. It calls for a public authority with worldwide competence, meaning something like a functioning United Nations. The pope had intervened privately during the missile crisis at Kennedy's request, and the encyclical came out of that experience. It was read into the record of the United States Senate. It is also the most widely reprinted papal document of the century, carried in full by newspapers that had never printed an encyclical. He died in June, two months after publishing it, with the council he had summoned still sitting.
- Year: 1963 CE
- Category: Religious
