Catholic Social Teaching
on
Peace and Justice
“To reach peace,
teach peace.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 1979
“World peace is threatened not only
by the arms race, regional conflicts
and the continued injustices among
people, but also by the lack of
respect for nature.”
Pope John Paul II,
Peace with God the Creator,
Peace with All of Creation,
1990, 1
“How can there ever be a future of peace
when investments are still made in the
production of arms and in research aimed
at developing new ones?
It can only be hoped that the international
community will... take up once more... the
process of disarmament.”
Pope Benedict XVI,
World Day of Peace Message, 2006, 14
“…all are called to live in justice
and to work for peace. No one
can claim exemption from this
responsibility.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 1998, 1
“The nations of the world are
becoming more and more
dependent on one another - it will
not be possible to preserve a lasting
peace so long as glaring economic
and social imbalances persist.”
Pope John XXIII,
Mother and Teacher, 1961, 157
“Excessive economic, social
and cultural inequalities among
peoples arouse tensions and
conflicts, and endanger peace.”
Pope Paul VI,
On the Development of Peoples, 76.
“Peace is a need deeply
rooted in the heart of every
man and woman.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 2000, 2
“Peace is not merely
the absence of war.”
Pope Paul VI,
The Church in the Modern World, 1965, 78
“There is no true peace without
fairness, truth, justice and solidarity.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 2000, 13
“A true and stable peace presupposes
respect for human rights.”
Pope Benedict XVI,
World Day of Peace Message, 2007,12
“Jesus has revealed to us that ‘God is love’
and that the highest vocation of every
person is love. In Christ we can find the
ultimate reason for becoming staunch
champions of human dignity and
courageous builders of peace.”
Pope Benedict XVI,
World Day of Peace Message, 2007, 16.
“It is not just a question of giving one’s
surplus to those in need… it requires
changing lifestyles and power
structures.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 2001, 17
“Peace for all is the
fruit of justice for all.”
Pope Benedict XVI,
World Day of Peace Message, 2012, 5
“To pray for
peace is to pray
for justice.”
Pope John Paul II,
World Day of Peace Message, 2002, 14
Picture credits
Sean Sprague
CAFOD
Maya Haviland
Richard Wainwright
Caritas Australia
Last updated Jan 2012