From the pastoral constitution on
the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council
The Christian duty of working for
peace
Christians should cooperate,
willingly and wholeheartedly, in building an international order based on genuine
respect for legitimate freedom and on a brotherhood of universal friendship.
This is all the more urgent because the greater part of the world still
experiences such poverty that in the voices of the poor Christ himself can be
heard, crying out for charity from his followers. There are nations – many of
them with a majority of Christians – which enjoy an abundance of goods, while
others are deprived of the necessities of life, and suffer from hunger, disease
and all kinds of afflictions. This scandal must be removed from among men, for
the glory of Christ’s Church and its testimony to the world are the spirit of
poverty and the spirit of love.
Christians, especially young
Christians, deserve praise and support when they offer themselves voluntarily in
the service of other people, with bishops giving a lead by word and example, to
do all in their power to relieve the sufferings of our times, following the
age-old custom of the Church in giving not only what they can spare but also
what they need for themselves.
Without being uniform or inflexible,
a method of collecting and distributing contributions should be established in
each diocese and nation and on a world-wide level. Whenever it seems
appropriate, there should be joint action between Catholics and other
Christians. The spirit of Charity, far from forbidding prudence and orderliness
in social and charitable action, in fact demands them. Those intending to serve
the developing countries must therefore undergo appropriate and systematic
training.
In order to foster and encourage
cooperation among men, the Church must be present and active in the community
of nations. It must work through its own public organizations with the full and
sincere cooperation of all Christians in their one desire to serve all mankind.
This end will be more effectively
achieved if the faithful are themselves conscious of their human and Christian
responsibilities and seek to awaken among those in their own walk of life a
readiness to cooperate with the international community. Special care should be
taken to give this kind of formation to young people in their religious and
secular education.
Finally, it is to be hoped that, in
carrying out their responsibilities in the international community, Catholics
will seek to cooperate actively and constructively with other Christians, who
profess the same Gospel of love, and with all men who hunger and thirst for
true peace.
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