Fifty-eight years ago today Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), a papal encyclical, was issued by Pope John XXIII. This encyclical had a momentous impact on the Catholic Church’s view of the world. It is a living document that directly inspired the work of Development and Peace. Pacem in Terris recognized the growing rights of workers, the advancement of women, the spread of democracy and an affirmation that war was not the way to obtain justice. It was the first encyclical addressed, not just to Catholics, but “to all people of good will,” and laid the foundations for the attainment of a just and lasting peace.

Pacem in Terris was released only 15 years after the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and is often called the ‘first declaration of human rights’ by the Catholic magisterium.  It became a social teaching accessible to millions of people.

The encyclical starts out on the building blocks of human dignity and human relationships. From these core values, it explains how each country has the right to existence, to self-development, and the means to achieve their development. Minority groups should be protected and be allowed to live in association with other people within a state.

Pacem in Terris paved the way for strong involvement of the Catholic Church and faith-based organizations in the promotion of human rights, justice, peace-building and peaceful resolution of conflicts. In the years that followed its release, Bishops’ conferences created many human rights centers, and Catholic peace movements sprung up all over the world. 

Pacem in Terris was signed by Pope John XXIII a month before he died. It was his legacy to the Vatican II Council, which he had convened to open the windows of the Church onto the modern world. In the half-century since the issue of the encyclical in 1963, the world has undergone dramatic changes in technology and the globalization of every aspect of human existence, and human rights awareness has been institutionalized in practically every country’s constitution.

 The encyclical ends with an exhortation to uphold the four pillars of peace – truth, justice, love and freedom – virtues that need to be pursued and concretized. 

Today, we are reminded once again of the concluding words in Pacem in Terris: “Peace is but an empty word, if it does not rest upon… an order that is founded on truth, built up on justice, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom.”  (above excepts from Jess Agustin, from the office of  Development and Peace, The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace)

For a quick overview of Pacem in Terris we invite to view this video by Thomas O’Brien.

On this Second Sunday of Easter – Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Marists invite you to reflect on two of the following quotes from Pope Francis:

“Mercy cannot become a mere parenthesis in the life of the Church; it constitutes her very existence, through which the profound truths of the Gospel are made manifest and tangible. Everything is revealed in mercy; everything is resolved in the merciful love of the Father.” (- Pope Francis, Misericordia et misera, November 20, 2016)

AND

Reminding us of Jesus’ words to Saint Faustina: “’I am love and mercy itself; there is no human misery that could measure up to my mercy’ (Diary, 14 September 1937). At one time, the Saint, with satisfaction, told Jesus that she had offered him all of her life and all that she had. But Jesus’ answer stunned her: ‘You have not offered me the thing is truly yours.’ What had that holy nun kept for herself? Jesus said to her with kindness: ‘My daughter, give me your failings’ (10 October 1937). We too can ask ourselves: ‘Have I given my failings to the Lord? Have I let him see me fall so that he can raise me up?’ Or is there something I still keep inside me? A sin, a regret from the past, a wound that I have inside, a grudge against someone, an idea about a particular person… The Lord waits for us to offer him our failings so that he can help us experience his mercy.” (- Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass on the Feast of Divine Mercy, April 19, 2020

Marists do the work of Mary in this world; participate in her realm of mercy by being instruments of mercy.

Fundamental rights

We pray for for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis, that they may see their sacrifice and their work bear abundant fruit.

Defending fundamental human rights demands courage and determination.
I’m referring to actively combatting poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, and the denial of social and labor rights.
Often, in practice, fundamental human rights are not equal for all.
There are first-, second-, and third-class people, and those who are disposable.
No. They must be equal for all.
In some places, defending people’s dignity can mean going to prison, even without a trial. Or it might mean slander.
Every human being has the right to develop fully, and this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country.

View the April Prayer Intention Pope Video – a global initiative to disseminate the Holy Father’s monthly intentions (Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network).

Easter Blessings from the Society of Mary USA (Marists)!