ENCYCLICAL LETTER

OF POPE JOHN XXIII





PACEM IN TERRIS

Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII

on

Peace on Earth

Printed in U.S.A. by

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR INC.

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This encyclical is dated Holy Thursday, April 11, 1963 and

released by the Vatican Press Office on April 10, 1963 and

relayed by the Press Department of the National Catholic

Welfare Conference, Washington, D. C.



The Encyclical Letter

PACEM IN TERRIS

To Our Venerable Brothers

The Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops

And Other Local Ordinaries

In Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See

To the Clergy and Faithful of the Whole World

And to All Men of Good Will

POPE JOHN XXIII

Venerable Brothers

And Beloved Children,

Health and Apostolic Benediction



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Introduction

Order in the Universe

Peace on earth, which men of every era have most eager-

ly yearned for, can be firmly established only if the order laid

down by God is dutifully observed.

The progress of learning and the inventions ‘of tech-

nology clearly show that, both in living things and in the

forces of nature, an astonishing order reigns, and they also

bear witness to the greatness of man, who can understand

that order and create suitable instruments to harness those

forces of nature and use them to his benefit.

But the progress of science and the inventions of tech-

nology show above all the infinite greatness of God, who

created the universe and man himself. He created all things

out of nothing, pouring into them the abundance of His wis-

dom and goodness, so that the holy psalmist praises God in

these words: “O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name

over all the earth.”
1
Elsewhere he says: “How manifold are

your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all.”2

God also created man in His own “image and likeness,”3

endowed him with intelligence and freedom, and made him

lord of creation, as the same psalmist declares in the words:

“You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned

him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the

works of your hands, putting all things under his feet.”
4

Order in Human Beings

How strongly does the turmoil of individual men and

peoples contrast with the perfect order of the universe! It is

1. Ps. 8, 1.

2. Ps. 103, 24.

3. Cf. Gen. 1, 26.

4. Ps. 8, 6-8.

5



as if the relationships which bind them together could be

controlled only by force. But the Creator of the world has

imprinted in man’s heart an order which his conscience re-

veals to him and enjoins him to obey: “They show the work

of the Law written in their hearts. Their conscience bears

witness to them .”
5

And how could it be otherwise? For whatever God has

made shows forth His infinite wisdom, and it is manifested

more clearly in the things which have greater perfection . 6

But fickleness of opinion often produces this error, that

many think that the relationships between men and States

can be governed by the same laws as the forces and irrational

elements of the universe, whereas the laws governing them

are of quite a different kind and are to be sought elsewhere,

namely, where the Father of all things wrote them, that is, in

the nature of man.

By these laws men are most admirably taught, first of all

how they should conduct their mutual dealings among them-

selves, then how the relationships between the citizens and

the public authorities of each State should be regulated, then

how States should deal with one another, and finally how, on

the one hand individual men and States, and on the other

hand the community of all peoples, should act toward each

other, the establishment of such a world community of peo-

ples being urgently demanded today by the requirements of

universal common good.

5. Rom. 2, 15.
6. Cf. Ps. 18, 8-11.

6



PART I

Order Between Men
Every Man Is a Person

with Rights and Duties

First of all, it is necessary to speak of the order which

should exist between men. Any human society, if it is to be

well ordered and productive, must lay down as a foundation

this principle, namely, that every human being is a person,

that is, his nature is endowed with intelligence and free will.

By virtue of this, he has rights and duties of his own, flowing

directly and simultaneously from his very nature, which are

therefore universal, inviolable and inalienable .
7

If we look upon the dignity of the human person in the

light of divinely revealed truth, we cannot help but esteem it

far more highly. For men are redeemed by the blood of Jesus

Christ. They are by grace the children and friends of God

and heirs of eternal glory.

Rights

The Right to Life

and a Worthy Standard of Living

Beginning our discussion of the rights of man, we see

that every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and

to the means which are necessary and suitable for the proper

development of life. These are primarily food, clothing, shel-

ter, rest, medical care, and finally the necessary social serv-

ices. Therefore a human being also has the right to security

in cases of sickness, inability to work, widowhood, old age,

unemployment, or in any other case in which he is deprived

of the means of subsistence through no fault of his own . 8

7. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,
pp. 9-24 ; and Discourse of John XXIII, Jan. 4, 1963, A.A.S. LV, 1963, pp. 89-91.

8. Cf. Encycl. Divini Redemptoris of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, p. 78 ; and Ra-
dio Message of Pius XII, Pentecost, June 1, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIII, 1941, pp.
195-206.

7



Rights Pertaining

to Moral and Cultural Values

By the natural law every human being has the right to

respect for his person, to his good reputation; the right to

freedom in searching for truth and in expressing and com-

municating his opinions, and in pursuit of art, within the

limits laid down by the moral order and the common good;

and he has the right to be informed truthfully about public

events.

The natural law also gives man the right to share in the

benefits of culture, and therefore the right to a basic educa-

tion and to technical and professional training in keeping

with the stage of educational development in the country to

which he belongs. Every effort should be made to ensure that

persons be enabled, on the basis of merit, to go on to higher

studies, so that, as far as possible, they may occupy posts and

take on responsibilities in human society in accordance with

their natural gifts and the skills they have acquired .
9

The Right to Worship God

According to One’s Conscience

Every human being has the right to honor God according

to the dictates of an upright conscience, and therefore the

right to worship God privately and publicly. For, as Lactan-

tius so clearly taught: “We were created for the purpose of

showing to the God who bore us the submission we owe Him,

of recognizing Him alone, and of serving Him. We are oblig-
ed and bound by this duty to God; from this religion itself

receives its name.”10

And on this point Our predecessor of immortal memory,

Leo XIII, declared: “This genuine, this honorable freedom of

the sons of God, which most nobly protects the dignity of the

human person, is greater than any violence or injustice; it has

always been sought by the Church, and always most dear to

her. This was the freedom which the Apostles claimed with

9. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,
pp. 9-24.

10. Divinae Institutiones, Book IV, ch. 28, 2 ; Patrologia Latina, 6, 536.

8



intrepid constancy, which the apologists defended with their

writings, and which the martyrs in such numbers consecrated

with their blood .”
11

The Right to Choose

Freely One's State of Life

Human beings have the right to choose freely the state

of life which they prefer, and therefore the right to set up a

family, with equal rights and duties for man and woman, and

also the right to follow a vocation to the priesthood or the

religious life .
12

The family, grounded on marriage freely contracted,

monogamous and indissoluble, is and must be considered the

first and essential cell of human society. To it must be given

every consideration of an economic, social, cultural and moral

nature which will strengthen its stability and facilitate the

fulfilment of its specific mission.

Parents, however, have a prior right in the support and

education of their children .
13

Economic Rights

Human beings have the natural right to free initiative in

the economic field and the right to work .
14

Indissolubly linked with those rights is the right to work-

ing conditions in which physical health is not endangered,

morals are safeguarded and young people’s normal develop-

ment is not impaired. Women have the right to working con-

ditions in accordance with their requirements and their duties

as wives and mothers . 15

From the dignity of the human person there also arises

the right to carry on economic activities according to the de-

11. Encycl. Libertas Praestantissimum, Acta Leonis XIII, VIII, 1888, pp. 237-238.
12. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,

pp. 9-24.

13. Cf. Encycl. Casti Connubii of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXII, 1930, pp. 539-592 ; and
Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, pp. 9-24.

14. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Pentecost, June 1, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIII, 1941,
p. 201.

15. Cf. Encycl. Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, XI, 1891, pp.
128-129.

9



gree of responsibility of which one is capable .
16

Furthermore

— and this must be specially emphasized — there is the right

to a working wage, determined according to criterions of jus-

tice, and therefore sufficient in proportion to the available re-

sources, to give the worker and his family a standard of living

in keeping with the dignity of the human person. In this re-

gard, Our predecessor Pius XII said:

“To the personal duty to work imposed by nature, there

corresponds and follows the natural right of each individual

to make of his work the means to provide for his own life and

the lives of his children; so profoundly is the empire of nature

ordained for the preservation of man .”17

The right to private property, even of productive goods,

also derives from the nature of man. This right, as We have
elsewhere declared, “is a suitable means for safeguarding the

dignity of the human person and for the exercise of respon-

sibility in all fields; it strengthens and gives serenity to family

life, thereby increasing the peace and prosperity of the

State .”
18

However, it is opportune to point out that there is a so-

cial duty essentially inherent in the right of private proper-

ty .
19

The Right of Meeting and Association

From the fact that human beings are by nature social,

there arises the right of assembly and association. They have

also the right to give the societies of which they are members

the form they consider most suitable for the aim they have in

view, and to act within' such societies on their own initiative

and on their own responsibility in order to achieve their de-

sired objectives .
20

We Ourselves stated in the encyclical “Mater et Magis-

16. Cf. Encycl. Mater et Magistra of John XXIII, A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 422.

17. Cf. Radio Message, Pentecost, June 1, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIII, 1941, p. 201.

18. Encycl. Mater et Magistra, A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 428.
19. Cf. Ibid., p. 430.

20. Cf. Encycl. Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, XI, 1891, pp.
134-142; Encycl. Quadragesimo Anno of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIII, 1931, pp.
199-200; Encycl. Sertum Laetitiae of Pius XII, A.A.S. XXXI, 1939, pp. 635-644.

10



tra” that for the achievement of ends which individual human

beings cannot attain except by association, it is necessary and

indispensable to set up a great variety of such intermediate

groups and societies in order to guarantee for the human per-

son a sufficient sphere of freedom and responsibility .
21

The Right to Emigrate and Immigrate

Every human being has the right to freedom of move-

ment and of residence within the confines of his own country,

and, when there are just reasons for it, the right to emigrate

to other countries and take up residence there .22 The fact that

one is a citizen of a particular State does not detract in any

way from his membership of the human family as a whole,

nor from his citizenship of the world community.

Political Rights

The dignity of the human person involves the right to

take an active part in public affairs and to contribute one’s

part to the common good of the citizens. For, as Our prede-

cessor of happy memory, Pius XII, pointed out: “The human

individual, far from being an object and, as it were, a merely

passive element in the social order, is in fact, must be and

must continue to be, its subject, its foundation and its end .”
23

The human person is also entitled to a juridical protec-

tion of his rights, a protection that should be efficacious, im-

partial and inspired by the true norms of justice.

As Our predecessor Pius XII teaches: “That perpetual

privilege proper to man, by which every individual has a

claim to the protection of his rights, and by which there is

assigned to each a definite and particular sphere of rights,

immune from all arbitrary attacks, is the logical consequence

of the order of justice willed by God .24

21. Cf. A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 430.

22. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1962, A.A.S. XLV, 1963,
pp. 33-46.

23. Cf. Radio Message, Christmas Eve, 1944, A.A.S. XXXVII, 1946, p. 12.

24. Cf. Radio Message, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, p. 21.

11



Duties

Rights and Duties

Necessarily Linked in the One Person

The natural rights with which We have been dealing are,
however, inseparably connected, in the very person who is

their subject, with just as many respective duties. And rights

as well as duties find their source, their sustenance and their

inviolability in the natural law which grants or enjoins them.

For example, the right of every man to life is correlative

with the duty to preserve it; his right to a decent standard of

living with the duty of living it becomingly; and his right to

investigate the truth freely, with the duty of seeking it and of

possessing it ever more completely and profoundly.

Reciprocity of Rights

and Duties between Persons

Once this is admitted, it is also clear that in human so-

ciety to one man’s right there corresponds a duty in all other

persons: the duty, namely, of acknowledging and respecting

the right in question. For every fundamental human right

draws its indestructible moral force from the natural law,

which in granting it imposes a corresponding obligation.

Those, therefore, who claim their own rights, yet altogether

forget or neglect to carry out their respective duties, are peo-

ple who build with one hand and destroy with the other.

Mutual Collaboration

Since men are social by nature, they are meant to live

with others and to work for one another’s welfare. A well or-

dered human society requires that men recognize and observe

their mutual rights and duties. It also demands that each con-

tribute generously to the establishment of a civic order in

which rights and duties are progressively more sincerely and

effectively acknowledged and fulfilled.

It is not enough, for example, to acknowledge and re-

spect every man’s right to the means of subsistence. One must

12



also strive to obtain that he actually has enough in the way of

food and nourishment.

The society of men must not only be organized but must

also provide them with abundant resources. This certainly re-

quires that they observe and recognize their mutual rights

and duties. It also requires that they collaborate together in

the many enterprises that modem civilization either allows or

encourages or even demands.

An Attitude of Responsibility

The dignity of the human person also requires that every

man enjoy the right to act freely and responsibly. For this

reason, therefore, in social relations man should exercise his

rights, fulfill his obligations and, in the countless forms of

collaboration with others, act chiefly on his own responsibility

and initiative. This is to be done in such a way that each one

acts on his own decision, of set purpose and from a conscious-

ness of his obligation, without being moved by force or pres-

sure brought to bear on him externally.

For any human society that is established on relations of

force must be regarded as inhuman, inasmuch as the person-

ality of its members is repressed or restricted, when in fact

they should be provided with appropriate incentives and

means for developing and perfecting themselves.

Social Life in Truth,

Justice, Charity and Freedom

A political society is to be considered well ordered, bene-

ficial and in keeping with human dignity if it is grounded on

truth. As the Apostle Paul exhorts us: ‘ Wherefore, put away

lying and speak truth each one with his neighbor, because we

are members of another.”25 This demands that reciprocal

rights and duties be sincerely recognized.

Furthermore, human society will be such as We have just

described it, if the citizens, guided by justice, apply them-

25. Eph. 4, 25.

13



selves seriously to respecting the rights of others and dis-

charging their own duties; if they are moved by such fervor

of charity as to make their own the needs of others and share

with others their own goods; if, finally, they work for a pro-

gressively closer fellowship in the world of spiritual values.

Human society is realized in freedom, that is to say, in ways

and means in keeping with the dignity of its citizens, who ac-

cept the responsibility of their actions precisely because they

are by nature rational beings.

Human society, venerable brothers and beloved children,

ought to be regarded above all as a spiritual reality in which

men communicate knowledge to each other in the light of

truth, in which they can enjoy their rights and fulfill their

duties, and are inspired to strive for moral good. Society

should enable men to share in and enjoy every legitimate ex-

pression of beauty, and encourage them constantly to pass on

to others all that is best in themselves, while they strive to

make their own the spiritual achievements of others. These

are the spiritual values which continually give life and basic

orientation to cultural expressions, economic and social insti-

tutions, political movements and forms, laws, and all other

structures by which society is outwardly established and con-

stantly developed.

God and the Moral Order

The order which prevails in society is by nature moral.

Grounded as it is in truth, it must function according to the

norms of justice, it should be inspired and perfected by mu-

tual love, and finally it should be brought to an ever more

refined and human balance in freedom.

Now an order of this kind, whose principles are universal,

absolute and unchangeable, has its ultimate source in the one

true God, who is personal and transcends human nature. In-

asmuch as God is the first truth and the highest good, He

alone is that deepest source from which human society can

draw its vitality, if that society is to be well ordered, benefi-

cial and in keeping with human dignity .26

26. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, p. 14.

14



As St. Thomas Aquinas says: “Human reason is the norm

of the human will, according to which its goodness is measur-

ed, because reason derives from the eternal law which is the

divine reason itself. It is evident then that the goodness of the

human will depends much more on the eternal law than on

human reason .”27

Characteristics of the Present Day

Our age has three distinctive characteristics.

First of all, the working classes have gradually gained

ground in economic and public affairs. They began by claim-

ing their rights in the socio-economic sphere. They extended

their action then to claims on the political level. And finally

they applied themselves to the acquisition of the benefits of

a more refined culture. Today, therefore, workers all over the

world refuse to be treated as if they were irrational objects

without freedom, to be used at the arbitrary disposition of

others. They insist that they be always regarded as men with

a share in every sector of human society: in the social and

economic sphere, in the fields of learning and culture, and in

public life.

Secondly, it is obvious to everyone that women are now

taking a part in public life. This is happening more rapidly

perhaps in nations of Christian civilization and, more slowly

but broadly, among peoples who have inherited other tradi-

tions or cultures. Since women are becoming ever more con-

scious of their human dignity, they will not tolerate being

treated as mere material instruments, but demand rights be-

fitting a human person both in domestic and in public life.

Finally, the modern world, as compared with the recent

past, has taken on an entirely new appearance in the field of

social and political life. For since all nations have either

achieved or are on the way to achieving independence, there

will soon no longer exist a world divided into nations that

rule others and nations that are subject to others.

Men all over the world have today — or will soon have

27. Summa Theol., Ia Ilae, q. 19, a. 4, ; cf. a. 9.

15



— the rank of citizens in independent nations. No one wants

to feel subject to political powers located outside his own

country or ethnical group. Thus in very many human beings

the inferiority complex which endured for hundreds and

thousands of years is disappearing, while in others there is an

attenuation and gradual fading of the corresponding superior-

ity complex which had its roots in social-economic privileges,

sex or political standing.

On the contrary, the conviction that all men are equal by

reason of their natural dignity has been generally accepted.

Hence racial discrimination can in no way be justified, at

least doctrinally or in theory. And this is of fundamental im-

portance and significance for the formation of human society

according to those principles which We have outlined above.
For, if a man becomes conscious of his rights, he must be-

come equally aware of his duties. Thus he who possesses cer-

tain rights has likewise the duty to claim those rights as marks

of his dignity, while all others have the obligation to acknowl-

edge those rights and respect them.

When the relations of human society are expressed in

terms of rights and duties, men become conscious of spiritual

values and understand the meaning and significance of truth,

justice, charity and freedom. They become deeply aware that

they belong to this world of values. Moreover, when moved

by such concerns, they are brought to a better knowledge of

the true God who is personal and transcendent, and thus they

make the ties that bind them to God the solid foundations

and supreme criterions of their lives, both of that life which

they live interiorly in the depths of their own souls and of

that in which they are united to other men in society.

16



PART II

Relations between

Individuals and the Public

Authorities within a Single

State

Necessity and Divine Origin of Authority

Human society can be neither well ordered nor prosper-

ous unless it has some people invested with legitimate author-

ity to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far

as is necessary to work and care for the good of all.

These, however, derive their authority from God, as St.

Paul teaches in the words: “There exists no authority except

from God .”28 These words of St. Paul are explained thus by

St. John Chrysostom:

“What are you saying? Is every ruler appointed by God?

I do not say that, he replies, for I am not dealing now with

individual rulers, but with authority itself. What I say is, that

it is the divine wisdom and not mere chance, that has ordain-

ed that there should be government, that some should com-

mand and others obey.”29

Moreover, since God made men social by nature, and

since no society “can hold together unless some one be over

all, directing all to strive earnestly for the common good, ev-

ery civilized community must have a ruling authority and this

authority, no less than society itself, has its source in nature,

and has, consequently, God for its author.”30

28. Rom. 13, 1.
29. In Epist. ad Rom. c. 13, vv. 1-2, homil. XXIII : Patrologia Graeca, 60, 615.
30. Encycl. Immortale Dei of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, V, 1885, p. 120.

17



But authority is not to be thought of as a force lacking

all control. Indeed, since it is the power to command accord-

ing to right reason, authority must derive its obligatory force

from the moral order, which in turn has God for its first

source and final end. Wherefore Our predecessor of happy

memory, Pius XII, said:

“That same absolute order of beings and their ends

which presents man as an autonomous person, that is, as the

subject of inviolable duties and rights, and as at once the

basis of society and the purpose for which it exists, also in-

cludes the State as a necessary society invested with the au-

thority without which it could not come into being or live . . .

And since this absolute order — as we learn from sound rea-

son, especially from the Christian Faith — can have no origin

save in a personal God who is our Creator, it follows that the

dignity of the State’s authority is due to its sharing to some

extent in the authority of God Himself.”31

Where the civil authority uses as its only or its chief

means either threats and fear of punishment or promises of

rewards, it cannot effectively move men to promote the com-

mon good of all. Even if it did so move them, this would be

altogether opposed to their dignity as men endowed with rea-

son and free will.

Since authority is chiefly concerned with moral force, it

follows that civil authority must appeal primarily to the con-

science of individual citizens, that is to each one’s duty to

collaborate readily for the common good of all. Since by na-

ture all men are equal in human dignity, it follows that no

one may be coerced to perform interior acts. That is in the

power of God alone, who sees and judges the hidden designs

of men’s hearts. Those, therefore, who have authority in the

State may oblige men in conscience only if their authority is

intrinsically related with the authority of God and shares in

it .
32

By this principle the dignity of the citizens is protected.

31. Cf. Radio Message, Christmas Eve, 1944, A.A.S. XXXVII, 1945, p. 15.
32. Cf. Encycl. Diutumum illud of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, II, 1881, p. 274.

18



When, in fact, men obey their rulers, it is not at all as men

that they obey them. Through their obedience it is God, the

provident Creator of all things, whom they reverence, since

He has decreed that men’s dealings with one another should

be regulated by an order which He Himself has established.

Moreover, in showing this due reverence to God, men not

only do not debase themselves but rather perfect and ennoble

themselves. For “to serve God is to rule .”33

Since the right to command is required by the moral or-

der and has its source in God, it follows that if civil author-

ities legislate for or allow anything that is contrary to that or-

der and therefore contrary to the will of God, neither the

laws made nor the authorizations granted can be binding on

the consciences of the citizens, since “we must obey God

rather than men .”34

Otherwise, authority breaks down completely and results

in shameful abuse. As St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: “Human

law has the true nature of law only in so far as it corresponds

to right reason, and therefore is derived from the eternal law.

In so far as it falls short of right reason, a law is said to be a

wicked law; and so, lacking the true nature of law, it is rather

a kind of violence .”
35

It must not be concluded, however, because authority

comes from God, that men therefore have no right to choose

who are to rule the state, to decide the form of government,

and to determine both the way in which authority is to be

exercised and its limits. It is thus clear that the doctrine

which We have set forth is fully consonant with any truly

democratic regime .
36

Attainment of the Common Good

Is the Purpose of the Public Authority

Individual citizens and intermediate groups are obliged

33. Cf. Ibid. p. 278 ; and Encycl. Immortale Dei of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII,
V, 1885, p. 130.

34. Acts, 5, 29.

35. Summa Theol., Ia-IIae, q. 93, a. 3 ad 2um ; Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII,
Christmas Eve, 1944, A.A.S. XXXVII, 1945, pp. 5-23.

36. Cf. Encycl. Diuturnum illud of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, II, 1881, pp. 271-

272 ; and Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1944, A.A.S. XXXVII,
1945, pp. 5-23.

19



to make their specific contributions to the common welfare.

One of the chief consequences of this is that they must bring

their own interests into harmony with the needs of the com-

munity, and must dispose of their goods and services as civil

authorities have prescribed, in accord with the norms of jus-

tice, in due form, and within the limits of their competence.

This they must do by means of formally perfect actions, the

content of which must be morally good, or at least capable of

being directed towards good.

Indeed since the whole reason for the existence of civil

authorities is the realization of the common good, it is clearly

necessary that in pursuing this objective they should respect

its essential elements, and at the same time conform their

laws to the needs of a given historical situation .
37

Essentials of the Common Good

Assuredly, the ethnic characteristics of the various human

groups are to be respected as constituent elements of the com-

mon good .38 But these values and characteristics by no means

exhaust the content of the common good. For the common

good is intimately bound up with human nature. It can never

exist fully and completely unless, its intimate nature and

realization being what they are, the human person is taken

into account .
39

In the second place, the very nature of the common good

requires that all members of the political community be en-

titled to share in it, although in different ways according to

each one’s tasks, merits and circumstances. For this reason,

every civil authority must take pains to promote the common

good of all without preference for any single citizen or civic

group.

As our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, has

said: “The civil power must not serve the advantage of any

37. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,
p. 13 ; and Encycl. Immortale Dei of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, V, 1885, p.
120 .

38. Cf. Encycl. Summi Pontificatus of Pius XII, A.A.S. XXXI, 1939, pp. 412-453.
39. Cf. Encycl. Mit brennender Sorge of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, p. 159 ;

and Encycl. Divini Redemptoris, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, pp. 65-106.

20



one individual, or of some few persons, inasmuch as it was

established for the common good of all .”40

Considerations of justice and equity, however, can at

times demand that those involved in civil government give

more attention to the less fortunate members of the commu-

nity, since they are less able to defend their rights and to as-

sert their legitimate claims .
41

In this context, We judge that attention should be called

to the fact that the common good touches the whole man, the

needs both of his body and of his soul. Hence it follows that

the civil authorities must undertake to effect the common

good by ways and means that are proper to them. That is,

while respecting the hierarchy of values, they should promote

simultaneously both the material and the spiritual welfare of

the citizens .
42

These principles are clearly contained in the doctrine

stated in Our encyclical, “Mater et Magistra,” where We em-
phasized that the common good of all “embraces the sum total

of those conditions of social living whereby men are enabled

to achieve their own integral perfection more fully and more

easily
.”43

r

Men, however composed as they are of bodies and im-

mortal souls, can never in this mortal life succeed in satisfy-

ing all their needs or in attaining perfect happiness. There-

fore all efforts made to promote the common good, far from

endangering the eternal salvation of men, ought rather to

serve to promote it .
44

Responsibilities of the Public Authority

and Rights and Duties of Individuals

It is agreed that in our time the common good is chiefly

guaranteed when personal rights and duties are maintained.

The chief concern of civil authorities must therefore be to

40. Encycl. Immortale Dei, Acta Leonis XIII, V, 1885, p. 121.

41. Cf. Encycl. Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, XI, 1891, pp.
133-134.

42. Cf. Encycl. Summi Pontificatus of Pius XII, A.A.S. XXXI, 1939, p. 433.
43. A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 19.

44. Cf. Encycl. Quadragesimo Anno of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIII, 1931, p. 215.

21



ensure that these rights are acknowledged, respected, coordi-

nated with other rights, defended and promoted, so that in

this way each one may more easily carry out his duties. For

“to safeguard the inviolable rights of the human person, and

to facilitate the fulfilment of his duties, should be the essen-

tial office of every public authority.”
45

This means that if any government does not acknowledge

the rights of man or violates them, it not only fails in its duty,

but its orders completely lack juridical force .
46

Reconciliation and Protection

of Rights and Duties of Individuals

One of the fundamental duties of civil authorities, there-

fore, is to coordinate social relations in such fashion that the

exercise of one man’s rights does not threaten others in the

exercise of their own rights nor hinder them in the fulfilment

of their duties. Finally, the rights of all should be effectively

safeguarded and, if they have been violated, completely re-

stored .
47

Duty of Promoting

the Rights of Individuals

It is also demanded by the common good that civil auth-

orities should make earnest efforts to bring about a situation

in which individual citizens can easily exercise their rights

and fulfill their duties as well. For experience has taught us

that, unless these authorities take suitable action with regard

to economic, political and cultural matters, inequalities be-

tween citizens tend to .become more and more widespread,

especially in the modem world, and as a result human rights

are rendered totally ineffective, and the fulfilment of duties

is compromised.

It is therefore necessary that the administration give

45. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Pentecost, June 1, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIII, 1941,

p, 200.

46. Cf. Encycl. Mit brennender Sorge of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, p. 159 ; and
Encycl. Divini Redemptoris, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, p. 79 ; and Radio Message of

Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, pp. 9-24.
47. Cf. Encycl. Divini Redemptoris of Pius XI, A.A.S. XXIX, 1937, p. 81 ; and

Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, i942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, pp. 9-24.

22



wholehearted and careful attention to the social as well as to

the economic progress of citizens, and to the development, in

keeping with the development of the productive system, of

such essential services as the building of roads, transportation,

communications, water supply, housing, public health, educa-

tion, facilitation of the practice of religion, and recreational

facilities. It is necessary also that governments make efforts

to see that insurance systems are made available to the citi-

zens so that, in case of misfortune or increased family respon-

sibilities, no person will be without the necessary means to

maintain a decent standard of living.

The government should make similarly effective efforts

to see that those who are able to work can find employment

in keeping with their aptitudes, and that each worker receives

a wage in keeping with the laws of justice and equity. It

should be equally the concern of civil authorities to ensure

that workers be allowed their proper responsibility in the

work undertaken in industrial organization, and to facilitate

the establishment of intermediate groups which will make

social life richer and more effective. Finally, it should be pos-

sible for all the citizens to share as far as they are able in

their country’s cultural advantages.

Harmonious Relation between Public

Authority's Two Forms of Intervention

The common good requires that civil authorities main-

tain a careful balance between coordinating and protecting

the rights of the citizens, on the one hand, and promoting

them, on the other. It should not happen that certain individ-

uals or social groups derive special advantage from the fact

that their rights have received preferential protection. Nor

should it happen that governments in seeking to protect these

rights, become obstacles to their full expression and free use.

“For this principle must always be retained: that State

activity in the economic field, no matter what its breadth or

depth may be, ought not to be exercised in such a way as to

curtail an individual’s freedom of personal initiative. Rather

23



it should work to expand that freedom as much as possible

by the effective protection of the essential personal rights of

each and every individual .”
48

The same principle should inspire the various steps which

governments take in order to make it possible for citizens

more easily to exercise their rights and fulfill their duties in

every sector of social life.

Structure and Operation of the Public Authority

It is impossible to determine, once and for all, what is

the most suitable form of government, or how civil authorities

can most effectively fulfill their respective functions, i.e., the

legislative, judicial and executive functions of the State. In

determining the structure and operation of government which

a State is to have, great weight has to be given to the histor-

ical background and circumstances of given political com-

munities, circumstances which will vary at different times and

in different plaes.

We consider, however, that it is in keeping with the in-

nate demands of human nature that the State should take a

form which embodies the threefold division of powers corre-

sponding to the three principal functions of public authority.

In that type of State, not only the official functions of govern-

ment but also the mutual relations between citizens and pub-

lic officials are set down according to law, which in itself af-

fords protection to the citizens both in the enjoyment of their

rights and in the fulfilment of their duties.

If, however, this political and juridical structure is to pro-

duce the advantages which may be expected of it, public of-

ficials must strive to meet the problems which arise in a way

that conforms both to the complexities of the situation and

the proper exercise of their function. This requires that, in

constantly changing conditions, legislators never forget the

norms of morality or constitutional provisions or the objec-

tive requirements of the common good.

Moreover, executive authorities must coordinate the ac-

48. Encycl. Mater et Magistra of John XXIII, A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 416.

24



tivities of society with discretion, with a full knowledge of

the law and after a careful consideration of circumstances.

And the courts must administer justice impartially and with-

out being influenced by favoritism or pressure. The good or-

der of society also demands that individual citizens and inter-

mediate organizations should be effectively protected by law

whenever they have rights to be exercised or obligations to

be fulfilled. This protection should be granted to citizens both

in their dealings with each other and in their relations with

government agencies .
49

Law and Conscience

It is unquestionable that a legal structure in conformity

with the moral order and corresponding to the level of devel-

opment of the political community is of great advantage to

achievement of the common good.

And yet, social life in the modem world is so varied,

complex and dynamic that even a juridical structure which

has been prudently and thoughtfully established is always in-

adequate for the needs of society.

It is also true that the relations of citizens with each

other, of citizens and intermediate groups with public author-

ities, and finally of the public authorities with one another

are often so complex and so sensitive that they cannot be reg-

ulated by inflexible legal provisions. Such a situation there-

fore demands that the civil authorities have clear ideas about

the nature and extent of their official duties if they wish to

maintain the existing juridical structure in its basic elements

and principles, and at the same time meet the exigencies of

social life, adapting their legislation to the changing social

scene and solving new problems. They must be men of great

equilibrium and integrity, competent and courageous enough

to see at once what the situation requires and to take neces-

sary action quickly and effectively .
50

49. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,
p. 21.

50. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1944, A.A.S. XXXVII, 1945,
pp. 15-16.

25



Citizens Participation in Public Life

It is in keeping with their dignity as persons that human

beings should take an active part in government, although the

manner in which they share in it will depend on the level of

development of the political community to which they belong.

Men will find new and extensive advantages in the fact

that they are allowed to participate in government. In this

situation, those who administer the government come into fre-

quent contact with the citizens, and it is thus easier for them

to learn what is really needed for the common good. The fact

too that ministers of government hold office only for a limited

time keeps them from growing stale and allows for their re-

placement in accordance with the demands of social prog-

ress .
51

Characteristics of the Present Day

In modern times, where there is a question of organizing

political communities juridically, there is observable first of

all the tendency to write in concise and limpid phraseology a

charter of fundamental human rights, which is, as often as

not, inserted in State constitutions or is an integral part of

them.

Secondly, there is also an inclination to determine, by the

compilation of a document called the constitution, the proce-

dures through which the governing powers are to be created,

along with their mutual relations, the spheres of their com-

petence, the forms and systems they are obliged to follow in

the performance of their office.

The relations between the government and the governed

are then set forth in terms of rights and duties. And it is

clearly laid down that the paramount task assigned to govern-

ment officials is that of recognizing, respecting, reconciling,

protecting and promoting the rights and duties of citizens.

It is of course impossible to accept the theory which

professes to find the original and single source of civic rights

51. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1942, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943,
p. 12.

26



and duties, of the binding force of the constitution, and of

a government’s right to command, in the mere will of human

beings, individually or collectively .
52

The tendencies to which We have referred, however, do

clearly show that the men of our time have become increas-

ingly conscious of their dignity as human persons. This aware-

ness prompts them to claim a share in the public administra-

tion of their country, while it also accounts for the demand

that their own inalienable and inviolable rights be protected

by law. It also requires that government officials be chosen in

conformity with constitutional procedures and perform their

specific functions within the limits of law.

52. Cf. Apostolic letter Annum ingressi of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, XXII,
1902-1903, pp. 52-80.

27



PART III

Relations between States

Subjects of Rights and Duties

Our predecessors have constantly maintained, and We
join them in reasserting, that political communities are reci-

procally subjects of rights and duties. This means that their

relationships also must be harmonized in truth, in justice, in a

working solidarity and in liberty. The same moral law which

governs relations between individual human beings serves

also to regulate the relations of political communities with one

another.

This will be readily understood when one reflects that

the individual representatives of political communities cannot

put aside their personal dignity while they are acting in the

name and interest of their countries; and that they cannot

therefore violate the very law of their being, which is the

moral law.

It would be absurd, moreover, even to imagine that men

could surrender their own human attributes, or be compelled

to do so, by the very fact of their appointment to public of-

fice, whereas they have been given that noble assignment

precisely because the wealth of their human endowments has

earned them their reputation as outstanding members of the

body politic.

Furthermore, authority is a necessary requirement of the

moral order in human society. It may not therefore be used

against that order; and the very instant such an attempt were

made, it would cease to be authority, as the Lord has warned

us:

“Hear, therefore, kings and understand; learn, you mag-

istrates of the earth’s expanse! Hearken, you who rule the

28



multitude and lord it over throngs of peoples! Because author-

ity was given you by the Lord and sovereignty by the Most

High, who shall probe your works and scrutinize your coun-

sels
!”58

Lastly it is to be borne in mind that also in the regulating

of relations between political communities, authority is to be

exercised for the achievement of the common good, which

constitutes the reason for its existence.

But a fundamental factor of the common good is ack-

nowledgment of the moral order and respect for its prescrip-

tions.

“Order between the political communities must be built

upon the unshakable and unchangeable rock of the moral law,

made manifest in the order of nature by the Creator Himself

and by Him engraved on the hearts of men with letters that

may never be effaced . . . Like the rays of a gleaming beacon,

its principles must guide the plans and policies of men and

nations. These are the signals—of warning, safety and smooth

sailing — they will have to heed, if they would not see all their

laborious efforts to establish a new order condemned to tem-

pest and shipwreck.”
54

In Truth

First among the rules governing the relations between

States is that of truth. This calls, above all, for the elimination

of every trace of racism, and the consequent recognition of

the principle that all States are by nature equal in dignity.

Each of them accordingly is vested with the right to existence,

to selfdevelopment, to the means fitting to its attainment, and

to be the one primarily responsible for this selfdevelopment.

Add to that the right of each to its good name and to the

respect which is its due.

Very often, experience has taught us, individuals will be

found to differ considerably in knowledge, virtue, talent and

53. Wis., 6, 1-4.

54. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIV, 1942,
p. 16.

29



wealth. Yet these inequalities must never be held to excuse

any man’s attempt to lord it over his neighbors unjustly. They

constitute rather a source of greater responsibility in the con-

tribution which each and everyone must make towards mu-

tual improvement.

Similarly, political communities may have reached dif-

ferent levels of culture, civilization or economic development.

Neither is that a sufficient reason for some to take unjust ad-

vantage of their superiority over others. Rather should they

see in it an added motive for more serious commitment to the

common cause of social progress.

It is not true that some human beings are by nature su-

perior and others inferior. All men are equal in their natural

dignity. Consequently there are no political communities

which are superior by nature and none which are inferior by

nature. All political communities are of equal natural dignity,

since they are bodies whose membership is made up of these

same human beings. Nor must it be forgotten, in this con-

nection, that peoples can be highly sensitive, and with good

reason, in matters touching their dignity and honor.

Truth further demands that the various media of social

communications made available by modern progress, which

enable the nations to know each other better, be used with

serene objectivity. That need not, of course, rule out any legit-

imate emphasis on the positive aspects of their way of life.

But methods of information which fall short of the truth, and

by the same token impair the reputation of this people or

that, must be discarded .
55

In Justice

Relations between political communities are to be further

regulated by justice. This implies, over and above recognition

of their mutual rights, the fulfilment of their respective duties.

Political communities have the right to existence, to self-

development and to the means necessary for this. They have

55. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1940, A.A.S. XXXIII, 1941,

pp. 6-14.

30



the right to play the leading part in the process of their own

development and the right to their good name and due hon-

ors. From which it follows as a simultaneous consequence that

they have also the corresponding duty of respecting these

rights in others and of avoiding any act of violation. Just as

an individual man may not pursue his own interests to the

detriment of other men, so, on the international level, one

State may not develop itself by restricting or oppressing other

States. St. Augustine rightly says: “What are kingdoms without

justice but bands of robbers?”
56

Not only can it happen, but it actually does happen, that

the advantages and conveniences which nations strive to ac-

quire for themselves become objects of contention. Neverthe-

less, the resulting disagreements must be settled not by force,

nor by deceit or trickery, but rather in the only manner which

is worthy of the dignity of man, i.e., by a mutual assessment

of the reasons on both sides of the dispute, by a mature and

objective investigation of the situation, and by an equitable

reconciliation of differences of opinion.

The Treatment of Minorities

Since the 19th century there has been a rather wide-

spread tendency in historical evolution for political communi-

ties to equate themselves with national communities. For var-

ious reasons, however, it has not always been possible to make

geographical boundaries coincide with ethnic ones. This gives

rise to the phenomenon of minorities and to the relative com-

plex problems.

In the first place, it must be made clear that justice is

seriously violated by whatever is done to limit the strength and

numerical increase of these minority peoples. The injustice is

even more serious if such sinful projects are aimed at the very

extinction of these groups.

On the other hand, the demands of justice are admirably

observed by those civil authorities who promote the natural

56. De civitate Dei, Book IV, ch. 4 ; Patrologia Latina, 41, 115 ; cf. Radio Mes-
sage of Pius XII, Christmas Eye, 1939, A.A.S. XXXII, 1940, pp. 5-13.

31



betterment of those citizens belonging to a smaller ethnic

group, particularly when that betterment concerns their lan-

guage, the development of their natural gifts, their ancestral

customs, and their accomplishments and endeavors in the eco-

nomic order .
57

It should be noted, however, that these minority groups,

either because of a reaction to their present situation or be-

cause of their historical difficulties, are often inclined to exalt

beyond due measure anything proper to their own people, so

as to place them even above human values, as if that which

is proper to humanity were to be at the service of that which

is proper to the nation.

Reason rather demands that these very people recognize

also the advantages that accrue to them from their peculiar

circumstances. For instance, no small contribution is made

toward the development of their particular talents and spirit

by their daily dealings with people who have grown up in a

different culture. This, however, will be true only if they will

know how to act as a bridge, which facilitates the circulation

of life in its various expressions among different traditions or

civilizations, and not a zone of discord which can cause great

damage and choke natural development.

Active Solidarity

Certainly relations between States must be regulated by

the norms of truth and justice, but they also derive great bene-

fits from active solidarity, through mutual cooperation on var-

ious levels, such as, in our own times, has already taken place

with laudable results in the economic, social, political, educa-

tional, health and sport spheres. We must remember that, of
its very nature, civil authority exists not to confine its people

within the boundaries of their nation, but rather to protect,

above all else, the common good of that particular civil soci-

ety, which certainly cannot be divorced from the common

good of the entire human family.

57. Cf. Radio Message of Pius XII, Christmas Eve, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIV, 1942,
pp. 10-21.

32



This entails not only that civil societies should pursue

their particular interests without hurting others, but also that

they should join forces and plans whenever the efforts of an

individual government cannot achieve its desired goals. But

in the execution of such common efforts, great care must be

taken lest what helps some nations should injure others.

Furthermore, the universal common good requires that

in every nation friendly relations be fostered in all fields be-

tween the citizens and their intermediate societies.

There are groupings of people of more or less different

racial backgrounds. However, the elements which characterize

an ethnic group must not be transformed into a watertight

compartment in which human beings are prevented from com-

municating with their fellowmen belonging to different ethnic

groups. That would contrast with our contemporary situation,

in which the distances separating peoples have been almost

wiped out. Nor can one overlook the fact that, even though

human beings differ from one another by virtue of their ethnic

peculiarities, they all possess certain essential common ele-

ments and are inclined by nature to meet each other in the

world of spiritual values, whose progressive assimilation opens

to them the possibility of perfection without limits. They have

the right and duty, therefore, to live in communion with one

another.

The Proper Balance between

Population
,
Land and Capital

As everybody knows, there are countries with an abun-

dance of arable land and a scarcity of manpower, while in

other countries there is no proportion between natural re-

sources and the capital available. This demands that peoples

should set up relationships of mutual collaboration, facilitat-

ing the circulation from one to the other of capital, goods and

manpower . 58

Here We deem it opportune to remark that, whenever

58. Cf. Encycl. Mater et Magristra of John XXIII, A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 439.

33



possible, the work to be done should be taken to the workers,

not vice versa.

In this way a possibility of a better future is offered to

many persons without their being forced to leave their own

environment in order to seek residence elsewhere, which al-

most always entails the heartache of separation and difficult

periods of adjustment and social integration.

The Problem of Political Refugees

The sentiment of universal fatherhood which the Lord

has placed in Our heart makes Us feel profound sadness in

considering the phenomenon of political refugees, a phenom-

enon which has assumed large proportions and which always

hides numberless and acute sufferings.

Such expatriations show that there are some political re-

gimes which do not guarantee for individual citizens a suf-

ficient sphere of freedom within which their souls are allowed

to breathe humanly. In fact, under those regimes even the

lawful existence of such a sphere of freedom is either called

into question or denied. This undoubtedly is a radical inver-

sion of the order of human society, because the reason for the

existence of public authority is to promote the common good,

a fundamental element of which is the recognition of that

sphere of freedom and the safeguarding of it.

At this point it will not be superfluous to recall that such

exiles are persons, and that all their rights as persons must be

recognized, since they do not lose those rights on losing the

citizenship of the States of which they are former members.

Now among the rights of a human person there must be

included the one by which a man may enter a political com-

munity where he hopes he can more fittingly provide a fu-

ture for himself and his dependents. Wherefore, as far as the

common good rightly understood permits, it is the duty of that

State to accept such immigrants and to help to integrate them

into itself as new members.

Wherefore, on this occasion, We publicly approve and

34



commend every undertaking founded on the principles of

human solidarity and Christian charity which aims at making

the migration of persons from one country to another less

painful.

And We will be permitted to single out for the attention

and gratitude of all right-minded persons the manifold work

which specialized international agencies are carrying out in

this very delicate field.

Disarmament

On the other hand, it is with deep sorrow that We note

the enormous stocks of armaments that have been and still are

being made in the more economically developed countries

with a vast outlay of intellectual and economic resources. And

so it happens that, while the people of these countries are

loaded with heavy burdens, other countries as a result are

deprived of the collaboration they need in order to make eco-

nomic and social progress.

The production of arms is allegedly justified on the

grounds that in present-day conditions peace cannot be pre-

served without an equal balance of armaments. And so, if

one country increases its armaments, others feel the need to

do the same. And if one country is equipped with nuclear

weapons, other countries must produce their own, equally

destructive.

Consequently, people live in constant fear lest the storm

that threatens every moment should break upon them with

dreadful violence. And with good reason, for the arms of war

are ready at hand. Even though it is difficult to believe that

anyone would deliberately take the responsibility for the ap-

palling destruction and sorrow that war would bring in its

train, it cannot be denied that the conflagration may be set

off by some incontrollable and unexpected chance. And one

must bear in mind that, even though the monstrous power of

modern weapons acts as a deterrent, it is to be feared that

35



the mere continuance of nuclear tests, undertaken with war

in mind, will have fatal consequences for life on the earth.

Justice, right reason and humanity, therefore, urgently

demand that the arms race should cease; that the stockpiles

which exist in various countries should be reduced equally

and simultaneously by the parties concerned; that nuclear

weapons should be banned; and that a general agreement

should eventually be reached about progressive disarma-

ment and an effective method of control.

In the words of Pius XII, Our predecessor of happy

memory: “The calamity of a world war, with the economic

and social ruin and the moral excesses and dissolution that

accompany it, must not be permitted to envelop the human

race for a third time .”
59

All must realize that there is no hope of putting an end

to the building up of armaments, nor of reducing the present

stocks, nor still less of abolishing them altogether, unless the

process is complete and thorough and unless it proceeds from

inner conviction; unless, that is, everyone sincerely cooperates

to banish the fear and anxious expectation of war with which

men are oppressed. If this is to come about the fundamental

principle on which our present peace depends must be re-

placed by another, which declares that the true and solid

peace of nations consists not in equality of arms but in mu-

tual trust alone.

We believe that this can be brought to pass, and We

consider that it is something which reason requires, that it is

eminently desirable in itself and that it will prove to be the

source of many benefits.

In the first place, it is an objective demanded by reason.

There can be, or at least there should be, no doubt that re-

lations between States, as between individuals, should be reg-

ulated not by the force of arms but by the light of reason, by

the rule, that is, of truth, of justice and of active and sincere

cooperation.

59. Cf. Radio Message, Christmas Eve, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIV, 1942, p. 17 ; and
Exhortation of Benedict XV to the rulers of peoples at war, Aug. 1, 1917,
A.A.S. IX, 1917, p. 418.

36



Secondly, We say that it is an objective earnestly to be

desired in itself. Is there anyone who does not ardently yearn

to see war banished, to see peace preserved and daily more

firmly established?

And finally, it is an objective which will be a fruitful

source of many benefits, for its advantages will be felt every-

where — by individuals, by families, by nations, by the whole

human family. The warning of Pius XII still rings in our ears:

“Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war.”60

Since this is so, We, the Vicar on earth of Jesus Christ,

Savior of the World and Author of Peace, and as interpreter

of the very profound longing of the entire human family, fol-

lowing the impulse of Our heart, seized by anxiety for the

good of all, feel it Our duty to beseech men, especially those

who have the responsibility of public affairs, to spare no labor

in order to ensure that world events follow a reasonable and

human course.

In the highest and most authoritative assemblies, let men

give serious thought to the problem of a peaceful adjustment

of relations between political communities on a world level —

an adjustment founded on mutual trust, on sincerity in negoti-

ations and on faithful fulfilment of obligations assumed. Let

them study the problem until they find that point of agree-

ment from which it will be possible to commence to go for-

ward toward accords that will be sincere, lasting and fruitful.

We, for Our part, will not cease to pray God to bless

these labors so that they may lead to fruitful results.

In Liberty

It has also to be borne in mind that relations between

States should be based on freedom, that is to say that no

country may unjustly oppress others or unduly meddle in

their affairs. On the contrary, all should help to develop in

others a sense of responsibility, a spirit of enterprise, and an

earnest desire to be the first to promote their own advance-

ment in every field.

60. Cf. Radio Message, Aug. 24, 1939, A.A.S. XXXI, 1939, p. 334.

37



The Evolution of Economically

Underdeveloped Countries

Because all men are joined together by reason of their

common origin, their redemption by Christ and their super-

natural destiny, and are called to form one single family, We

appealed in the encyclical “Mater et Magistra” to economical-

ly developed nations to come to the aid of those which were

in the process of development .
61

We are greatly consoled to see how widely that appeal
has been favorably received. And We are confident that even
more so in the future it will contribute to the end that the

poorer countries, in as short a time as possible, will arrive at

that degree of economic development which will enable every

citizen to live in conditions in keeping with his human dig-

nity.

But it is never sufficiently repeated that the cooperation

to which reference has been made should be effected with

the greatest respect for the liberty of the countries being de-

veloped, for these must realize that they are primarily respon-

sible, and that they are the principal artisans in the promo-

tion of their own economic development and social progress.

Our predecessor Pius XII already proclaimed that “in

the field of a new order founded on moral principles, there

is no room for violation of freedom, integrity and security of

other nations, no matter what may be their territorial extent

or their capacity for defense. It is inevitable that the powerful

States, by reason of their greater potential and their power,

should pave the way in the establishment of economic groups

comprising not only themselves but also smaller and weaker

States as well. It is nevertheless indispensable that in the in-

terests of the common good they, as all others, should respect

the rights of those smaller states to political freedom, to eco-

nomic development and to the adequate protection, in the

case of conflicts between nations, of that neutrality which is

theirs according to the natural, as well as international, law.

61. A.A.S. LIII, 1961, pp. 440-441.

38



In this way, and in this way only, will they be able to obtain

a fitting share of the common good, and assure the material

and spiritual welfare of their people .”
62

It is vitally important, therefore, that the wealthier States,,

in providing varied forms of assistance to the poorer, should

respect the moral values and ethnic characteristics peculiar to

each, and also that they should avoid any intention of political

domination. If this is done, “a precious contribution will be

made towards the formation of a world community, a com-

munity in which each member, while conscious of its own

individual rights and duties, will work in a relationship of

equality towards the attainment of the universal common

good .”63

Signs of the Times

Men are becoming more and more convinced that dis-

putes which arise between States should not be resolved by

recourse to arms, but rather by negotiation.

It is true that on historical grounds this conviction is

based chiefly on the terrible destructive force of modem arms.

And it is nourished by the horror aroused in the mind by the

very thought of the cruel destruction and the immense suf-

fering which the use of those armaments would bring to the

human family. And for this reason it is hardly possible to

imagine that in the atomic era war could be used as an in-

strument of justice.

Nevertheless, unfortunately, the law of fear still reigns

among peoples, and it forces them to spend fabulous sums for

armaments: not for aggression, they affirm — and there is no

reason for not believing them — but to dissuade others from

aggression.

There is reason to hope, however, that by meeting and

negotiating men may come to discover better the bonds —

deriving from the human nature which they have in common

— that unite them, and that they may also come to discover

62. Cf. Radio Message, Christmas Eve, 1941, A.A.S. XXXIV, 1942, pp. 16-17.
63. Encycl. Mater et Magistra of John XXIII, A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 443.

39



that one of the most profound requirements of their common

nature is this : that between them and their respective peoples

it is not fear which should reign but love, a love which tends

to express itself in a collaboration that is loyal, manifold in

form and productive of many benefits.

40



PART IV

Relationship of Men

and of Political Communities

with the World Community

Interdependence between Political Communities

Recent progress in science and technology has profoundly

affected human beings and influenced men to work together

and live as one family. There has been a great increase in the

circulation of ideas, of persons and of goods from one country

to another, so that relations have become closer between in-

dividuals, families and intermediate associations belonging

to different political communities, and between the public

authorities of those communities.

At the same time the interdependence of national econ-

omies has grown deeper, one becoming progressively more

closely related to the other, so that they become, as it were,

integral parts of the one world economy. Likewise the social

progress, order, security and peace of each country are neces-

sarily connected with the social progress, order, security and

peace of all other countries.

At the present time no political community is able to

pursue its own interests and develop itself in isolation, be-

cause the degree of its prosperity and development is a re-

flection and a component part of the degree of prosperity

and development of all the other political communities.

Insufficiency of Modern States

to Ensure the Universal Common Good

The unity of the human family has always existed be-

41



cause its members were human beings all equal by virtue of

their natural dignity. Hence there will always exist the objec-

tive need to promote in sufficient measure the universal com-

mon good, that is the common good of the entire human fam-

ily.

In times past, one could be justified in feeling that the

public authorities of the different political communities might

be in a position to provide for the universal common good

either through normal diplomatic channels or top-level meet-

ings, or by making use of juridical instruments such as con-

ventions and treaties, for example juridical instruments sug-

gested by the natural law and regulated by the law of nations

and international law.

As a result of the far-reaching changes which have taken

place in the relations of the human family, the universal com-

mon good gives rise to problems which are complex, very

grave and extremely urgent, especially as regards security and

world peace. On the other hand, the public authorities of the

individual political communities — placed as they are on a

footing of equality one with the other — no matter how much

they multiply their meetings or sharpen their wits in efforts

to^draw up new juridical instruments, they are no longer

capable of facing the task of finding an adequate solution to

th
e

probleiTrs
-
mentioned^ above. And this is not due to a lack

of good will or of a spirit of enterprise, but because of a struc-

tural defect which hinders them.

It can be said, therefore, that at this historical moment

the present system of organization and the way its principle

of authority operates on a world basis no longer correspond

to the objective requirements of the universal common good.

Connection between the

Common Good and Political Authority

There exists an intrinsic connection between the common

good on the one hand and the structure and function of pub-

lic authority on the other. The moral order, which needs pub-

lic authority in order to promote the common good in human

42



society, requires also that the authority be effective in attain-

ing that end. This demands that the organs through which the

authority is formed, becomes operative and pursues its ends,

must be composed and act in such a manner as to be capable

of bringing to realization the new meaning which the com-

mon good is taking on in the historical evolution of the hu-

man family.

Today the universal common good poses problems of

worldwide dimensions which cannot be adequately tackled

or solved except by the efforts of public authorities endowed

with a breadth of powers, structure and means of the same

proportions: that is, of public authorities which are in a posi-

tion to operate in an effective manneji-OEL^ worldwide, basis.

The moral order itself, therefore, demands that such a form

of public authority be established.

Public Authority Instituted by Common Consent

and Not Imposed by Force

A public authority, having worldwide power and en-

dowed with the proper means for the efficacious pursuit of its

objective, which is the universal common good in concrete

form, must be set up by common accord and not imposed

by force.

The reason is that such an authority must be in a posi-

tion to operate effectively, while at the same time its action

must be inspired by sincere and real impartiality. In other

words, it must be an action aimed at satisfying the objective

requirements of the universal common good.

The difficulty is that there would be reason to fear that

a supernational or worldwide public authority imposed by

force by the more powerful political communities might be

or might become an instrument of one-sided interests. And

even should this not happen, it would be difficult for it to

avoid all suspicion of partiality in its actions, and this would

take away from the efficaciousness of its activity.

Even though there may be pronounced differences be-

43



tween political communities as regards the degree of their

economic development and their military power, they are all

very sensitive as regards their juridical equality and their

moral dignity. For that reason, they are right in not easily

yielding in obedience to an authority imposed by force, or to

an authority in whose creation they had no part, or to which

they themselves did not decide to submit by conscious and

free choice.

The Universal Common Good and Personal Rights

Like the common good of individual political communi-

ties, so too the universal common good cannot be determined

except by having regard to the human person. Therefore, the

public authority of the world community, too, must have as

its fundamental objective the recognition, respect, safeguard-

ing and promotion of the rights of the human person. This

can be done by direct action when required, or by creating

on a world scale an environment in which the public authori-

ties of the individual political communities can more easily

carry out their special functions.

The Principle of Subsidiarity

Just as within each political community the relations be-

tween individuals, families, intermediate associations and

public authority are governed by the principle of subsidiarity,

so too the relations between the public authority oFeach po-

litical community and the public authority of the world com-

munity must be regulated by the light of the same principle.

This means that the public authority of the world community

must tackle and solve problemJ^of an economic, social, po-

litical or cultural character which are posed by the universal

common good. For, because of the vastness, complexity and

urgency of those problems, the public authorities of the indi-

vidual States are not in a position to tackle them with any

hope of a positive solution.

The public authority of the world community is not in-

tended to limit the sphere of action of the public authority

44



of the individual political community, much less to take its

place. On the contrary, its purpose is to create, on a world

basis, an environment in which the public authorities of each

political community, its citizens and intermediate associations,

can carry out their tasks, fulfill their duties and exercise their

rights with greater security.
64

Modern Developments

As is known, the United Nations Organization (U.N.O.)

was established on June 26, 1945, and to it there were subse-

quently added intergovernmental agencies with extensive in-

ternational tasks in the economic, social, cultural, educational

and health fields. The United Nations Organization had as its

essential purpose the maintenance and consolidation of peace

between peoples, fostering between them friendly relations

based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and var-

ied forms of cooperation in every sector of human society.

An act of the highest importance performed by the Unit-

ed Nations Organization was the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights approved in the General Assembly of Decem-

ber 10, 1948. In the preamble of that declaration, the recog-

nition and respect of those rights and respective liberties is

proclaimed as an ideal to be pursued by all peoples and all

countries.

Some objections and reservations were raised regarding

certain points in the declaration. There is no doubt, how-

ever, that the document represents an important step on the

path toward the juridical-political organization of the world

community. For in it, in most solemn form, the dignity of a

person is acknowledged to all human beings. And as a con-

sequence there is proclaimed, as a fundamental right, the

right of free movement in the search for truth and in the at-

tainment of moral good and of justice, and also the right to

a dignified life, while other rights connected with those men-

tioned are likewise proclaimed.

64. Cf. Address of Pius XII to youths of Catholic Action from the dioceses of

Italy gathered in Rome, Sept. 12, 1948, A.A.S. XL, p. 412.

45



It is Our earnest wish that the United Nations Organiza-

tion—in its structure and in its means—may become everjuore

equal to the magnitude and nobility of its tasks, and in that
the day may come when every human being will find therein

an effective safeguard for the rights which derive directly

from his dignity as a person, and which are therefore univer-

sal, inviolable and inalienable rights. This is all the more to

be hoped for since all human beings, as they take an ever

more active part in the public life of their own political

communities, are showing an increasing interest in the affairs

of all peoples, and are becoming more consciously aware that

they are living members of a world community.

46



PART V

Pastoral Exhortations

Duty of Taking Part in Public Life

Once again We deem it opportune to remind Our chil-
dren of their duty to take an active part in public life and

to contribute toward the attainment of the common good of

the entire human family as well as to that of their own politi-

cal community. They should endeavor, therefore, in the light

of the Faith and with the strength of love, to ensure that the

various institutions—whether economic, social, cultural or poli-

tical in purpose—should be such as not to create obstacles,

but rather to facilitate or render less arduous mans perfect-

ing of himself both in the natural order as well as in the su-

pernatural.

Scientific Competence, Technical Capacity

and Professional Experience

Nevertheless, in order to imbue civilization with sound

principles and enliven it with the spirit of the Gospel, it is

not enough to be illumined with the gift of faith and en-

kindled with the desire of forwarding a good cause. For this

end it is necessary to take an active part in the various or-

ganizations and influence them from within. And since our

present age is one of outstanding scientific and technical

progress and excellence, one will not be able to enter these

organizations and work effectively from within unless he is

scientifically competent, technically capable and skilled irt

the practice of his own profession.

Apostolate of a Trained Laity

We desire to call attention to the fact that scientific

47



competence, technical capacity and professional experience,

although necessary, are not of themselves sufficient to elevate

the relationships of society to an order that is genuinely hu-

man, that is to an order whose foundation is truth, whose

measure and objective is justice, whose driving force is love,

and whose method of attainment is freedom.

For this end it is certainly necessary that human beings

carry on their own temporal activities in accordance with

the laws governing them and following the methods corre-

sponding to their nature. But at the same time it is also nec-

essary that they should carry on those activities as acts with-

in the moral order and, therefore, as the exercise or vindica-

tion of a right, as the fulfilment of a duty or the perform-

ance of a service, and as a positive answer to the providen-

tial design of God directed to our salvation.

In other words, it is necessary that human beings, in

the intimacy of their own consciences, should so live and

act in their temporal lives as to create a synthesis between

scientific, technical and professional elements on the one

hand, and spiritual values on the other.

Integration of Faith and Action

It is no less clear that today, in traditionally Christian

nations, secular institutions, although demonstrating a high

degree of scientific and technical perfection and efficiency in

achieving their respective ends, not infrequently are but

slightly affected by Christian motivation or inspiration.

It is beyond question that in the creation of those insti-

tutions many contributed and continue to contribute who

were believed to be and who consider themselves Christians;

and without doubt, in part at least, they were and are. How

does one explain this? It is Our opinion that the explanation

is to be found in an inconsistency in their minds between

religious belief and their action in the temporal sphere. It

is necessary, therefore, that their interior unity be re-establish-

ed, and that in their temporal activity faith should be pres-

48



ent as a beacon to give light, and charity as a force to give

life.

Integral Education

It is Our opinion, too, that the above-mentioned incon-

sistency between the religious faith, in those who believe,

and their activities in the temporal sphere, results—in great

part if not entirely—from the lack of a solid Christian educa-

tion. Indeed, it happens in many quarters and too often

that there is no proportion between a scientific training and

religious instruction. The former continues and is extended

until it reaches higher degrees, while the latter remains at

elementary level.

It is indispensable, therefore, that in the training of

youth, education should be complete and without interrup-

tion, namely that in the minds of the young religious values

should be cultivated and the moral conscience refined in a

manner to keep pace with the continuous and ever more

abundant assimilation of scientific and technical knowledge.

And it is indispensable, too, that they be instructed regard-

ing the proper way to carry out their actual tasks .65

Constant Endeavor

We deem it opportune to point out how difficult it is to
understand clearly the relation between the objective require-

ments of justice and concrete situations, that is to perceive

the degrees and forms in which doctrinal principles and di-

rectives ought to be applied to reality.

And the perception of those degrees and forms is all the

more difficult in our times, which are marked by a pro-

nounced dynamism. For this reason, the problem of bringing

social reality into line with the objective requirements of

justice is a problem which will never admit of a definitive

solution. Meanwhile, Our children must watch over them-

selves lest they relax and feel satisfied with objectives al-

ready achieved.

65. Cf. Encycl. Mater et Magristra of John XXIII. A.A.S. LIII, 1961, p. 464.

49



In fact, all human beings ought rather to reckon that

what has been accomplished is but little in comparison with

what remains to be done. This is so because organs of pro-

duction, trade unions, associations, professional organizations,

insurance systems, legal systems, political regimes, and insti-

tutions for cultural, health, recreational or sporting purposes

must all be adjusted to the era of the atom and of the con-

quest of space, an era which the human family has already

entered, wherein it has commenced its new advance towards

limitless horizons.

Relations between Catholics and Non-Catholics

in Social and Economic Affairs

The doctrinal principles outlined in this document derive

from or are suggested by requirements inherent in human

nature itself, and are, for the most part, dictates of the natur-

al law. They provide Catholics, therefore, with a vast field

in which they can meet and come to an understanding both

with Christians separated from this Apostolic See, and also

with human beings who are not enlightened by faith in

Jesus Christ, but who are endowed with the light of reason

and with a natural and operative honesty.

“In such relations let the faithful be careful to be al-

ways consistent in their actions, so that they may never come

to any compromise in matters of religion and morals. At the

same time, however, let them be, and show themselves to be,

animated by a spirit of understanding and detachment, and

disposed to work loyally in the pursuit of objectives which

are of their nature good, or conducive to good .”
66

However, one must never confuse error and the person

who errs, not even when there is question of error or inade-

quate knowledge of truth in the moral or religious field.

The person who errs is always and above all a human

being and retains in every case his dignity as a human per-

son. And he must always be regarded and treated in accord-

ance with that lofty dignity. Besides, in every human being

66. Ibid., p. 466.

50



there is a need that is congenital to his nature and never be-

comes extinguished that compells him to break through the

web of error and open his mind to the knowledge of truth.

And God will never fail to act on his interior being, with the

result that a person, who at a given moment of his life lacks

the clarity of faith or even adheres to erroneous doctrines,

can at a future date be enlightened and believe the truth.

Meetings and agreements in the various sectors of daily

life between believers and those who do not believe, or be-

lieve insufficiently because they adhere to error, can be oc-

casions for discovering truth and paying homage to it.

It must be borne in mind, furthermore, that neither can

false philosophical teachings regarding the nature, origin

and destiny of the universe and of man be identified with

historical movements that have economic, social, cultural or

political ends, not even when these movements have origin-

ated from those teachings and have drawn and still draw

inspiration therefrom.

This is so because the teachings, once they are drawn

up and defined, remain always the same, while the move-

ments, working in historical situations in constant evolution,

cannot be influenced by these latter and cannot avoid, there-

fore, being subject to changes, even of a profound nature.

Besides, who can deny that those movements, in so far as

they conform to the dictates of right reason and are inter-

preters of the lawful aspirations of the human person, contain

elements that are positive and deserving of approval?

It can happen, then, that a drawing nearer together or

a meeting for the attainment of some practical end, which

was formerly deemed inopportune or unproductive, might

now or in the future be considered opportune and useful.

But to decide whether this moment has arrived and also

to lay down the ways and degrees in which work in com-

mon might be possible for the achievement of economic, so-

cial, cultural and political ends which are honorable and use-

ful, are problems which can only be solved with the virtue of

51



prudence, which is the guiding light of the virtues that regu-

late the moral life, both individual and social.

Therefore, as far as Catholics are concerned, this deci-

sion rests primarily with those who live and work in the spe-

cific sectors of human society in which those problems arise,

always, however, in accordance with the principles of the

natural law, with the social doctrine of the Church, and with

the directives of ecclesiastical authority. For it must not be

forgotten that the Church has the right and the duty not only

to safeguard theprmciples of ethics and reEgiSn, but also

to intervene authoritatively with,Jber ^hildreia in the tempor-

al sphere when there is a question of judging the application

of those principles to concrete cases .
67

Little by Little

There are some souls, particularly endowed with gen-
erosity, who, on finding situations where the requirements of
justice are not satisfied or not satisfied in full, feel enkindled

with the desire to change the state of^things, as if
x
they

wished to have recourse to something
^

like q revolution/

It must be borne in mind that to proceed gradually is

the law of life in all its expressions. Therefore, in human in-

stitutions, too, it is not possible to renovate for the better

except by working from within them, gradually.

Pius XII proclaimed: “Salvation and justice are not to

be found in revolution, but in evolution through concord.

Violence has always achieved only destruction, not construc-

tion; the kindling of passions, not their pacification; the ac-

cumulation of hate and ruin, not the reconciliation of the

contending parties. And it has reduced men and parties to

the difficult task of rebuilding, after sad experience, on the

ruins of discord .”
68

67. Ibid. p. 456 ; cf. Encycl. Immortale Dei of Leo XIII, Acta Leonis XIII, V,

1885, p. 128 ; Encycl. Ubi Arcano of Pius XI, A.A.S. XIV, 1922, p. 698 ; and

Address of Pius XII to Delegates of the International Union of Catholic Wo-
men’s Leagues gathered in Rome for a joint convention. Sept. 11, 1947,
A.A.S. XXXIX, 1947, p. 486.

68. Cf. address to workers from the dioceses of Italy gathered in Rome, Pentecost,

June 13, 1943, A.A.S. XXXV, 1943, p. 175.

52



An Immense Task

There is an immense task incumbent on all men of good

will, namely, the task of restoring the relations of the human

family in truth, in justice, in love and in freedom—the rela-

tions between individual human beings; between citizens

and their respective political communities; between political

communities themselves; between individuals, families, inter-

mediate associations and political communities on the one

hand, and the world community on the other. This is a

most exalted task, for it is the task of bringing about true

peace in the order established by God.

Admittedly, those who are endeavoring to restore the

relations of social life according to the criterions mentioned

above are not many. To them We express Our paternal ap-
preciation, and We earnestly invite them to persevere in
their work with ever greater zeal. And We are comforted by

the hope that their number will increase, especially among

those who believe. For it is an imperative of duty; it is a

requirement of Love.

Every believer in this world of ours must be a spark of

light, a center of love, a vivifying leaven amidst his fellow-

men. And he will be this all the more perfectly the more

closely he lives in communion with God in the intimacy of

his own* soul.

In fact, there can be no peace between men unless there

is peace within each one of them, unless, that is, each one

builds up within himself the order wished by God. Hence

St. Augustine asks:

“Does your soul desire to overcome your lower inclina-

tions? Let it be subject to Him who is on high and it will

conquer the lower self: there will be peace in you; true, se-

cure and well ordered peace. In what does that order consist?

God commands the soul; the soul commands the body; and

there is nothing more orderly than this /’
69

69. Miscellanea Augustiniana . . . Sermones post Maurinos reperti of St. Augus-

tine, Rome, 1930, p. 633.

53



The Prince of Peace

These words of Ours, which We have wished to dedicate
to the problems that most beset the human family today,

and on the just solution of which the ordered progress of so-

ciety depends, are dictated by a profound aspiration which

We know is shared by all men of good will: the consolida-
tion of peace in the world.

As the humble and unworthy Vicar of Him whom the

Prophet announced as the Prince of Peace
,

70 We have the
duty to expand all Our energies in an effort to protect and

strengthen this gift. However, peace will be but an empty-

sounding word unless it is founded on the order which this

present document has outlined in confident hope: an order

founded on truth, built according to justice, vivified and

integrated by charity, and put into practice in freedom.

This is such a noble and elevated task that human re-

sources. everT^though insp^^ l^^^

goodwill, cannot bring it to realization alone. In order that

human society may reflect as faithfully as possible the King-

dom of God, help from on high is necessary.

For this reason, during these sacred days, Our supplica-

tion is raised with greater fervor towards Him who by His

painful Passion and death overcame sin—the root of discord

and the source of sorrows and inequalities—and by His Blood

reconciled mankind to the Eternal Father. "Tor he himself

is our peace, he it is who has made both one . . . And com-

ing, he announced the good tidings of peace to you who

were afar off, and of peace to those who were near.”71

And in the liturgy of these days we hear the announce-

ment:
“
Our Lord Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, stood

in the midst of His disciples and said 'Peace be to you/ al-

leluia: the disciples rejoiced seeing the Lord . 72

He leaves us peace, He brings us peace. “Peace I leave

with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do

70. Cf. Is. 9, 5.

71. Eph. 2, 14-17.

72. Responsory at Matins on the Friday after Easter.

54



I give to you.”
73

This is the peace which We implore of Him
with the ardent yearning of Our prayer.

May He banish from the hearts of men whatever might

endanger peace. May He transform them into witnesses of

truth, justice and brotherly love. May He enlighten the rul-

ers of peoples so that in addition to their solicitude for the

proper welfare of their citizens, they may guarantee and de-

fend the great gift of peace. May He enkindle the wills of

all so that they may overcome the barriers that divide, cher-

ish the bonds of mutual charity, understand others, and par-

don those who have done them wrong. By virtue of His

action, may all people of the earth become as brothers,

and may the most longed-for peace blossom forth and reign

always between them.

As a pledge of this peace, and with the ardent wish

that it may shine forth on the Christian communities entrust-

ed to your care, especially for the benefit of those who are

most lowly and in the greatest need of help and defense, We

are glad to impart to you, venerable brothers, to priests both

secular and Religious, to religious men and women and to

the faithful of your dioceses particularly to those who make

every effort to put these exhortations of Ours into practice,

Our apostolic blessing in propitiation of heavenly favors. Fi-

nally, upon all men of good will, to whom this encyclical

letter is also addressed, We implore from Almighty God

health and prosperity.

Given at Rome at St. Peters, on Holy Thursday, the 11th

day of April, in the year 1963, the fifth of Our pontificate.

JOHN XXIII

73. Jn. 14. 27.

55



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