"Peace on Earth" : Already and Not Yet

"An essential and timely book, restoring Pacem in terris to its full prophetic force in our troubled time. Massimo Faggioli writes with historical clarity and genuine passion, showing how John XXIII's insight-that peace rests on truth, justice, and freedom-remains decisive today; not a nostalgic memory, but a compass in an age of chaos, when even wars seem to have lost strategy and measure. In conversation with the teaching of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, these pages reveal that peace is not an abstract idea but a historical and spiritual task that calls the global conscience, as international law fractures and war reemerges as the language of politics. A book that reopens the future just when it seems to be closing."
-Antonio Spadaro, SJ, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education

"Pope John XXIII's 1963 Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth) was perhaps the most influential papal encyclical of the twentieth century. Here Massimo Faggioli gives us a historically well-informed analysis of the background, context, and reception of the document, showing the great relevance of the pope's work for the urgent issues of war and peace today."
-David Hollenbach, SJ, Georgetown University

"At a time when the world needs the Church's peace witness more than ever, this is essential reading. Faggioli is the perfect scholar to introduce readers to Pacem in terris: he marries masterful historical insight with an astute understanding of why Pacem in terris matters today, providing a powerful ressourcement of a pivotal encyclical."
-Laurie Johnston, Emmanuel College, Boston

"Now when the international order is in pieces, with the rule of law and diplomacy displaced by might makes right and unilateral power politics, one may be tempted to despair of peace on earth, especially if starting from scratch. However, Massimo Faggioli does us a service by revisiting John XXIII's benchmark 1963 encyclical Pacem in terris, which offered not the final word but provided the building blocks for future peacebuilding. In addition to its historical background, context, and significance, Faggioli deftly demonstrates Pacem in terris's current relevance."
-Tobias Winright, St. Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland

Massimo Faggioli is Professor of Historical Theology at Villanova University and a contributing writer for Commonweal. With Paulist he published Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning (2012) and The Rising Laity: Ecclesial Movements since Vatican II (2016).