VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 28, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The theme of John Paul II’s message for the next World Day of Peace echoes the advice in Romans 12:21: “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.”
The Day of Peace, to be observed Jan. 1, emphasizes “evil as the cause and source of conflicts and wars, and, at the same time, the inseparable link between moral good and peace,” said a note published today by the Vatican press office.
As a response to widespread terrorism, the papal message stresses “one of the most important principles of the social doctrine of the Church: the principle of the universal common good,” the note explained.
“The moral good is the premise to make the common good concrete, and the realization of the common good has, among its objectives, to structure the social, economic, political, national and international organizations in the perspective of peace,” the note explained.
Illustrating the principle of the universal destiny of goods, the papal message relates the “right of development” with the “right of peace.”
The search for good must take into account “the numerous social and economic problems that weigh on the lives of peoples: inequalities, privations of all sorts, injustices and insecurity,” the Vatican note stated.
For this reason, the search for good calls for equity and solidarity, the text added.
“The objective of the Holy Father’s message,” it said, “will be to commit everyone to search for the path of good as the surest and fastest way to attain peace.”
