Saint John XXIII, in his memorable encyclical Pacem in Terris (PT), shows us Jesus, announced by the prophets (Is 9:6), as The Prince of Peace (PT 167). The same announcement resonates in the liturgy. “The risen Christ, appearing amid his disciples, greeted them, saying: “Peace be with you. Hallelujah”. And the disciples rejoiced, seeing the Lord. Christ, then, has brought us peace, he has left us peace: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you (Jn 14, 27)” (PT 170). Indeed, as the Gospel transmits, the Eternal Son of the Father, God himself who is incarnated in Jesus Christ, with his teaching and his life revealed to us permanent and unconditional non-violence, reconciliation, and forgiveness. And all of this, even at the very moment of being Crucified, “Father, forgive them…” (Lk 23, 34), when he gives his life for universal, liberating, and integral salvation.
Following Jesus from the Spirit, his Church, with the Second Vatican Council, continues this promotion of peace and affirms that “any war” must be “absolutely prohibited”, authentic “slavery”. To achieve this, the conciliar teaching continues, and a global governing authority must be established to establish peace, justice, and rights in the world. He denounces warlike actions against populations as “a crime against God and humanity.” Rejecting that “very serious plague that is the arms race and that intolerably harms the poor”, while promoting simultaneous global disarmament (GS 80-82). Hence, with all this teaching and its Popes, in Evangelium vitae (EV) Saint John Paul II reaffirms this hope for peace, opposing war, violence and attacks on life (EV 26, 56).
The Holy Pope himself, in Centesimus Annus (CA), once again cries out “never again war!” No, never again war! That destroys the lives of the innocent, that teaches to kill and also disrupts the lives of those who kill, that leaves behind a sequel of resentment and hatred, and makes the just solution more difficult of the same problems that have caused it. Just as within each State the time has finally come when the system of private vengeance and reprisal has been replaced by the rule of law, so it is now urgent that such progress take place in the international Community. We must not forget either that at the root of war there are, in general, real and serious reasons: injustices suffered, frustrations of legitimate aspirations, misery or exploitation of large desperate human masses, who do not see the objective possibility of improving their conditions through the paths of peace. Therefore, the other name of peace is development. Just as there is a collective responsibility to avoid war, there is also a collective responsibility to promote development. And just as at the domestic level it is possible and obligatory to build a social economy that guides the functioning of the market towards the common good, in the same way appropriate interventions are also necessary at the international level. This is why a great effort is needed for mutual understanding, knowledge and awareness-raising of consciences” (CA 52).
Continuing the above, Pope Francis in Fratelli tutti (FT) teaches that “the point is that, from the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the enormous and growing possibilities that new technologies offer, it was given to War is a destructive power out of control that affects many innocent civilians. It is true that “humanity has never had so much power over itself, and there is no guarantee that it will use it well.” Then we can no longer think of war as a solution, because the risks will probably always be greater than the hypothetical utility attributed to it. Faced with this reality, today, it is very difficult to sustain the rational criteria matured in other centuries to talk about a possible “just war.” Never again war!” (FT 258). In the quote regarding this issue 258 of FT the Pope explains, therefore, that it is no longer possible to maintain the idea of a “just war”; which had already been commented by Saint John Paul II, who is also opposed to “this concept of just war” (Journey from the UK to Rome, 2-6-1982).
Even more, Saint John XXII in PT continues to teach us that peace will not be achieved without establishing justice and human rights. Saint Paul VI, in Populorum progressio (PP), makes it clear that an indispensable condition for peace is the development (human and integral) of all peoples (PP 76). Likewise, in Sollicitudo rei socialis (SRS) Saint John Paul II understands peace as the fruit of that authentic solidarity, which promotes the common good with the option for the poor and comprehensively liberates from sin, whether personal, social and structural (SRS 39). . Next, with this teaching, already in Evangelii Gaudium (EG), Francis makes us see how equity with the impoverished and with all peoples, fundamentally transforming the unjust global socioeconomic system and ideologizations, is very necessary and essential to end the this situation of war worldwide (EG 59).
As the Word of God teaches us and the Pope emphasizes, “peace” is not only the absence of war, but the tireless commitment – especially of those of us who occupy a position of broader responsibility – to recognize, guarantee and concretely reconstruct the dignity of so many people. “Sometimes forgotten or ignored by our brothers, so that they can feel like the main protagonists of the destiny of their nation.” The bottom of society have often been offended by unfair generalizations. If sometimes the poorest and the discarded react with attitudes that seem antisocial, it is important to understand that many times these reactions have to do with a history of contempt and lack of social inclusion.
As the Latin American Bishops taught, “only the closeness that makes us friends allows us to deeply appreciate the values of today’s poor”, their legitimate desires and their own way of living the faith. The option for the poor must lead us to friendship with the poor. Those who seek to pacify a society must not forget that inequality and the lack of comprehensive human development do not allow peace to be generated. Indeed, “without equality of opportunity, the various forms of aggression and war will find a breeding ground that sooner or later will cause their explosion. When society—local, national or global—abandons a part of itself to the periphery, there will be no political programs, nor police or intelligence resources that can indefinitely ensure tranquility”. If we have to start over, it will always be from the last” (FT 233-235).
