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PAGE 2—The Southern Cross, May 11, 1963
TEXT OF
ENCYCLICAL PACEM IN
TERRIS
The following is the third in a series
of installments of the text of the ency
clical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth)
of His Holiness Pope John XXIII.
Part III
Relations Between States
Subjects of Rights
and Duties
Our predecessors have con
stantly maintained, and We join
them in reasserting, that politi
cal communities are recipro
cally subjects of rights and
duties. This means that their
relationships also must be lib
erty. The same moral law which
governs relations between indi
vidual human beings serves also
to regulate the relations of
political communities with one
another.
This will be readily under
stood 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 coun
tries; and that they cannot
therefore violate the very law
of their being, which is the
moral law.
It would be absurd, more
over, even to imagine that men
could surrender their own hu
man attributes, or be compell
ed to do so, by the very fact
of their appointment to public
office, whereas they have been
given that noble assignments
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 au
thority, 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 mul
titude and lord it over throngs
of peoples! Because authority
was given you by the Lord and
sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and
scrutinize your counsels!"
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 con
stitutes the reason for its exis
tence.
But a fundamental factor of
the common good is acknow
ledgment of the moral order and
respect for its prescriptions.
‘ ‘Order between the political
communities must be built upon
the unshakable and unchange
able 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 the gleaming bea
con, its principles must guide
the plans and policies of men
and nations. These are the
symbols—of warning, safety and
smooth sailing—they will have
to heed, if they would not see all
their laborious efforts to estab
lish a new order condemned to
temptest and shipwreck.”
In Truth
First among the rules gov
erning the relations between
States is that of truth. This
calls, above all, for the elimi
nation 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 exis
tence, to selfdevelopment, to the
means fitting to its attainment,
and to be the one primarily
responsible for this selfdevel
opment. 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
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
contribution which each and ev
eryone must make towards mu-
tural improvement.
Similarly, political com
munities may have reached dif
ferent levels of culture, civil
ization or economic develop
ment. Neither is that a suffi
cient reason for some to take
unjust advantage of their super
iority over others. Rather
should they see in it an added
motive for more serious com
mitment to the common cause
of social progress.
It is not true that some hu
man beings are by nature sup
erior 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 mem
bership is made up of these
same human beings. Nor must
it be forgotten, in this connec
tion, that peoples can be highly
sensitive, and with good reason,
in matters touching their dig
nity and honor.
Truth further demands that
the various media of social
communications made available
by modern progress, which en
able the nations to know each
other better, be used with se
rene objectivity. That need not,
of course, rule out any legiti
mate 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 re
putation of this people or that,
must be discarded.
In Justice
Relations between political
communities are to be further
regulated by justice. This im
plies, over and above recogni
tion 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
the right to play the leading
part in the process of their own
development and the right to
their good name and due honors.
From which it follows as a
simultaneous consequence that
they have also the correspond
ing 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 detri
ment of other men, so, on the
international level, one State
may not develop itself by re-
stricing or oppressing other
States. St. Augustine rightly
says: "What are kingdoms with
out justice but bands of rob
bers?"
Not only can it happen, but
it actually does happen, that
the advantages and conven
iences which nations strive to
acquire for themselves be
come objects of contention. Ne
vertheless, the resulting disa
greements must be settled not
by force, nor by deceit or trick
ery, but rather in the only man
ner which is worthy of the dig
nity of man, i.e., by a mutual
assessment of the reasons on
both sides of the dispute, by a
mature and objective investiga
tion of the situation, and by an
equitable reconciliation of dif
ferences of opinion.
The Treatment of
Minorities
Since the 19th century there
has been a rather widespread
tendency in historical evolution
for political communities to
equate themselves with national
communities. For various rea
sons, however, it has not always
been possible to make geo
graphical boundaries coincide
with ethnic ones. This gives
rise to the phenomenon of mi
norities 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 de
mands of justice are admirably
observed by those civil autho
rities who promote the natural
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 accomplish
ments and endeavors in the
economic order.
It should be noted, however,
that these minority groups, ei
ther because of a reaction to
their present situation or be
cause of their historical diffi
culties, are often inclined to
exalt beyond due measure any
thing proper to their own peo
ple, so as to place them even
above human values, as if that
which is proper to humanity
were to be at the service of
DISTRIBUTING THE BREAD OF LIFE
Distributing Holy Communion to a group of young boys, the
Holy Father displays his great concern for Catholic youth.
Believing that it was almost impossible for the people to come
to him, he has made every effort to make himself available to
them. Msgr. Enrico Dante, the Pope’s master of ceremonies,
assists the Holy Father. (NC Photos)
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 cir
cumstances. For instance, no
small contribution is made to
ward the development of their
particular talents and spirit
by their daily dealings with
people who have grown up in a
different culture. This, how
ever, 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 benefits
from active solidarity, through
mutual cooperation on various
levels, such as, in our own
times, has already taken place
with laudable results in the eco
nomic, social, political, edu
cational, 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 com
mon good of that particular
civil society, which certainly
cannot be divorced from the
common good of the entire hu
man family.
This entails not only that
civil societies should pursue
their particular interests with
out 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 com
mon efforts, great care must
be taken least what helps some
nations should injure others.
Furthermore, the universal
common good requires that in
every nation friendly relations
be fostered in all fields between
the citizens and their interme
diate societies.
There are groupings of peo
ple of more or less different
racial backgrounds. However,
the elements which character
ize an ethnic group must not be
transformed into a watertight
compartment in which human
beings are prevented from com
municating with their fellow-
men belonging to different
ethnic groups. That would con
trast with our contemporary
situation, in which the dis
tances 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 com
mon elements and are inclined
by nature to meet each other
in the world of spiritual values,
whose progressive assilimation
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 abundance
of arable land and a scarcity of
manpower, while in other coun
tries there is no proportion be
tween natural resources and the
capital available. This demands
that peoples should set up re
lationships of mutual collabo
ration, facilitating the circula
tion from one to the other of
capital, goods and manpower.
Here We deem it opportune
to remark that, whenever possi
ble, 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 for
ced to leave their own environ
ment in order to seek residence
elsewhere, which almost always
entails the heartache of separa
tion and difficult periods of as-
justment 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 con
sidering the phenomenon of po
litical refugees, a phenomenon
which has assumed large pro
portions and which always hides
numberless and acute suffer
ings.
Such expatriations show that
there are some political
regimes which do not guarantee
for individual citizens a suffi
cient 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
inversion 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 safeguard
ing 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 in
cluded the one by which a man
may enter a political community
where he hopes he can more
fittingly provide a future for
himself and his dependents.
Wherefore, as far as he com
mon 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 com
mend every undertaking founded
on the principles of human so
lidarity and Christian charity
which aims at making the mi
gration 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 econo
mically developed countries
with a vast outlay of intellec
tual 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 arma
ments, others feel the need to
do the same. And if one country
is equipped with nuclear wea
pons, other countries must pro
duce their own, equally de
structive.
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
appalling destruction and sor
row 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 de
terrent, it is to be feared that
the mere continuance of nuclear
tests, undertaken with war in
mind, will have fatal conse
quence for life on the earth.
Justice, right reason and hu
manity, therefore, urgently de
mand 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 wea
pons should be banned; and that
a general agreement should
eventually be reached about
progressive disarmament 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 en
velop the human race for a third
time.”
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 abolish
ing them altogether, unless the
process is complete and tho
rough and unless it proceeds
from inner conviction; unless,
that is, everyone sincerely co
operates 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 replaced by another, which
declares that the true and solid
peace of nations consists not in
equality of arms but in mutual
trust alone.
We believe that this can be
brought to pass, and We consid
er that it is something which
reason requires, that it is emi
nently desirable in itself and
that it will prove to be the
source of many benefits.
Above, the Holy Father’s day is telescoped in four intimate pictures which capture his two most important preoccupations, prayer
*nd work. (Upper left) On arising the Pontiff first prays in his private chapel before offering Mass; (lower left) in his study
he scans an official volume; (upper right) in his office, the Holy Father talks over a bit of Vatican business with his secretary
Msgr. Loris Capovilla; (lower right) and finally the Pope, just «s the humblest parish priest, reads his daily office from his
breviary. (NC Photos)
In the first place, it is an
objective demanded by reason.
There can be, or at least there
should be, no doubt that rela
tions between States, as between
individuals, should be regulated
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 coopera
tion.
Secondly, We say that it is
an objective earnestly to be
desired in itself. Is there any
one 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 advan
tages will be felt everywhere—
by individuals, by families, by
nations, by the whole human
family. The warning of Pius XII
still rings in our ears: "Noth
ing is lost by peace; everything
may be lost by war.”
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 en
tire human family, following
the impulse of Our heart, seiz
ed by anxiety for the good of
all, feel it Our duty to beseech
men, especially those who have
the responsibility of public af
fairs, to spare no labor in or
der to ensure that world events
follow a reasonable and human
course.
In the highest and most au
thoritative assemblies, let men
give serious thought to the pro
blem of a peaceful adjustment of
relations between political
communities on a world level—
an adjustment founded on mutual
trust, on sincerity in negotia
tions 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 free
dom, that is to say that no coun
try may unjustly oppress others
or unduly meddle in their af
fairs. 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.
The Evolution of
Economically
Underdeveloped
Countries
Because all men are joined
together by reason of their
common origin, their redemp
tion by Christ and their super
natural destiny, and are called
to form one single family, We
appealed in the encyclical "Ma
ter et Magistra” to economi
cally developed nations tocbme
to the aid of those which were
in the process of development.
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 contri
bute to the end that the poorer
countries, in as short a time as
possible, will arrive at that de
gree of economic development
which will enable every citizen
to live in conditions in keeping
with his human dignity.
But it is never sufficiently
repeated that the cooperation
to which reference has been
made should be affected with
the greatest respect for the
liberty of the countries being
developed, for these must rea
lize that they are primarily
responsible, and that they are
the principal artisans in the
promotion of their own econo
mic development and social
progress.
Our predecessor Pius XII
already proclaimed that "inthe
field of a new order founded
on moral principles, there is
no room for violation of free
dom, integrity and security of
other nations, no matter what
may be their territorial extent
or their capacity for defense.
It is inevitable that the power
ful States, by reason of their
greater potential and their pow
er, 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 interests of the common
good they, as all others, should
respect the rights of those
smaller states to political free
dom, to economic development
and to the adequate protection,
in the case of conflicts between
nations, of that neutrality which
is theirs according to the nat
ural, as well as international,
law. 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.”
It is vitally important, there
fore, 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 contribu
tion will be made towards the
formation of a world communi
ty, a community in which each
member, while conscious of its
own individual rights and duties,
will work in a realtionship of
equality towards the attainment
of the universal common good.”
Signs of the Times
Men are becoming more and
more convinced that disputes
which arise between States
should not be resolved by re
course to arms, but rather
by negotiation.
It is true that on histori
cal grounds this conviction is
based chiefly on the terrible
destructive force of modern
arms. And it is nourished by
the horror aroused in the mind
by the very thought of the cruel
destruction and the immense
suffering 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—de
riving from the human nature
which they have in common— <
that unite them, and that they
may also come to discover
that one of the most profound
requirements of their common
nature is this: that between
them and their respective peo
ples it is not fear which should
reign but love, a love which
tends to express itself in a
collaboration that is loyal, man
ifold in form and productive of
many benefits.
Measure Would
Lower Mail Rate
WASHINGTON, (NC) — Rep. \
Arnold Olsen of Montana has in
troduced a bill to reduce postal
rates for publications intended
for use in religious instruction
classes.
Olsen said his bill would set
the minimum per-piece charge
for these publications at 15
one-hundredths of a cent dur
ing 1963, one-fifth of a cent
during 1964, and one-fourth of.
a cent thereafter.
Red Clamp—
(Continued From Page 1)
lanueva University in Havana,
said "the danger that all Latin
America will follow the steps
of the Cuban revolution in a
few years is very high.”
"In that case, the fall of the
United States would not be far
away," said Lasaga, now a
psychology professor at Mi
ami’s Institute of Social Action.
He stated that the basic plan
of the communists” is to en
circle the U.S. with communist
countries, so that it will col
lapse later as an ‘overripe
fruit’, according to Lenin’s fa
mous statement.”
"The people of the U.S.,”
said Lasaga, "represent the
last hope of the free world, if
it awakes .before it is too late.”
Miguel A. Suarez, a former
president of the board of Ca
tholic Action in Cuba, said that
democracy is succumbing to
“The cold war of ideals and
propaganda” waged by com
munism. Suarez is now direc
tor of Information Catolica Cu-
bana, a bulletin published in
Miami for Cubans in exile.
“From Cuba,” he said, “the
communists carry on a con
stant propaganda directed to
the continent, including the US;
and the agitators who stir up
political uneasiness in Ameri
ca use Cuba as a springboard
to the democratic countries.
“Radio Moscow broadcasts
in Spanish to Cuba 10 hours ev
ery day,” Suarez stated, and
so-called cultural organiza
tions in Cuba “send by every
means possible all kinds of sub
versive pamphlets and books to ,
Latin America.”
