"In
effect, our times, marked by globalization with its positive and
negative aspects, as well as the continuation of violent conflicts
and threats of war, demand a new, shared commitment in pursuit of the
common good and the development of all men, and of the whole man.
It
is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing
instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a
selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an
unregulated financial capitalism. In addition to the varied forms of
terrorism and international crime, peace is also endangered by those
forms of fundamentalism and fanaticism which distort the true nature
of religion, which is called to foster fellowship and reconciliation
among people.
All
the same, the many different efforts at peacemaking which abound in
our world testify to mankind’s innate vocation to peace. In every
person the desire for peace is an essential aspiration which
coincides in a certain way with the desire for a full, happy and
successful human life. In other words, the desire for peace
corresponds to a fundamental moral principle, namely, the duty and
right to an integral social and communitarian development, which is
part of God’s plan for mankind. Man is made for the peace which is
God’s gift." ....
Peace
is not a dream or something utopian; it is possible. Our gaze needs
to go deeper, beneath superficial appearances and phenomena, to
discern a positive reality which exists in human hearts, since every
man and woman has been created in the image of God and is called to
grow and contribute to the building of a new world. God himself,
through the incarnation of his Son and his work of redemption, has
entered into history and has brought about a new creation and a new
covenant between God and man (cf. Jer 31:31-34), thus enabling us to
have a “new heart” and a “new spirit” (cf. Ez 36:26).
For
this very reason the Church is convinced of the urgency of a new
proclamation of Jesus Christ, the first and fundamental factor of the
integral development of peoples and also of peace. Jesus is indeed
our peace, our justice and our reconciliation (cf. Eph 2:14; 2 Cor
5:18). The peacemaker, according to Jesus’ beatitude, is the one
who seeks the good of the other, the fullness of good in body and
soul, today and tomorrow.
From
this teaching one can infer that each person and every community,
whether religious, civil, educational or cultural, is called to work
for peace. Peace is principally the attainment of the common good in
society at its different levels, primary and intermediary, national,
international and global. Precisely for this reason it can be said
that the paths which lead to the attainment of the common good are
also the paths that must be followed in the pursuit of peace.
From the Vatican, 8 December 2012
BENEDICTUS
PP XVI
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