Pacem in Terris: Popes and Peace

Tom Fox, publisher of National Catholic Reporter, predicted Thursday that Pope John Paul II would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. See column. He wasn't. Iranian activist Shirin Ebadi won it. But Fox's prediction reminded me of the wonderful tradition in the Roman Catholic Church in terms of writing and speaking out for world peace.

People wonder why some Catholics stay in a church with such a byzantine power structure and a church that relegates women to second-class status. Well, it's also a church with a rich tradition of social justice and activism for peace. And that keeps a lot of us around.

My favorite pope, John XXIII, wrote Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) in April 1963. It's a classic. Popes since that time have built on the beauty of the document by citing it when speaking up against war.

Fox thought John Paul II deserved the award, in part, for speaking out against the war in Iraq. "In the months leading up to the Iraq war Pope John Paul spoke out vehemently against the notion of 'preemptive" strike' and 'preventive war,' arguing the notion upsets a fragile international consensus against first strikes.

"Because of his position as a religious leader, as a Christian leader, the pope's opposition also contributed to lessening the potential rift that opened up between Christianity and Islam as a result of the war."

Treat yourself today and read Pacem in Terris. It's a gift from the past that's helped keep our world a bit more peaceful than it might have been without it.