Human Dignity in World Affairs
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
April 12, 2013
Pope John XXIII promulgated Pacem in Terris, “Peace on Earth”, on April 11,1963, in the depths of the Cold War and after the Second Vatican Council had concluded its first of four sessions. Released just weeks before his death but five months after the chilling standoff between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the encyclical became the decisive last will and testament of Pope John and the charter Vatican II needed to embrace an agenda for peace, human dignity and human rights. Fifty years later, the ideas developed in Pacem in Terris retain their
centrality for contemporary world affairs.
Letter of Congratulations to Georgetown University from Archbishop Loris Capovilla, Secretary to Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)
Reflections on the significance of Pacem in Terris:
- “Reading the Signs of the Times: The Encyclical’s Promise Today,” by Drew Christiansen, S.J. (presented at the conference)
- “Pacem in Terris@50: Gifts Old and New for Church and Society in Recent Times,” by Gerard Mannion (presented at the conference)
- “A Vision of Peace,” by Drew Christiansen, S.J. (originally published in America, The National Catholic Weekly, April 8-15, 2013)
- “The Several Challenges of Peace in Today’s World,” by J. Bryan Hehir, S.J. (originally published in Woodstock Report No. 76, December 2003)
Conference Presentations
Panel: “A New Language for Peace: the Origins and the Preparation of Pacem in Terris”
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Alberto Melloni
John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies, Bologna
Maryann Cusimano Love
International Relations
The Catholic University of America
Gerard Mannion
Theology and Religious Studies
University of San Diego
John Borelli (Moderator)
President’s Office
Georgetown University
Welcome and Reflections
John J. DeGioia
President, Georgetown University
Keynote: “Pacem in Terris: Its Role in Catholic Social Teaching and its Impact on World Politics”
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J. Bryan Hehir, S.J.
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
Panel: “Human Dignity in Contemporary International Affairs”
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Paula J. Dobriansky
John F. Kennedy School for Government
Harvard University
Drew Christiansen, S.J.
Former Editor, America
Former Director, International Justice and Peace, USCC
Anthony Arend
Government and Foreign Service
Georgetown University
Thomas Banchoff (Moderator)
Director, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs
Government and Foreign Service
Georgetown University