Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
26
PhilosophicalThought
aworldthatboastsofitstechnicalandscientificconquestsbutalsobearsthe
effectsofatemporalorderthatsomehavewantedtoreorganizebyexcluding
God.”10PopeJohnwasconcernedaboutthethreatofdevastationfrompos-
siblenuclearconflict,thedangerfromatheisticmaterialismintheCommunist
world,aswellasthechallengeofaffluenthedonismintheindustrializedWest
stiflingtheGospel.Johnhopedthattheupcomingcouncilcouldhelpallhumans
addresstheseproblems:“Andfinally,toaworldwhichislost,confused,and
anxiousbecauseoftheconstantthreatofnewfrightfulconflicts,theforthcom-
ingCounciliscalledtoofferapossibilityforallmenofgoodwilltoturntheir
thoughtsandproposalstowardpeace,apeacewhichcanandmustcomeabove
allfromspiritualandsupernaturalrealities.”11
JohnwantedtolinktheperennialreligiousmissionoftheChurchtothe
concretesituationofthecontemporaryworld,seekingtobehelpfulinpractical
waystoallhumans.Ofcourse,PopeJohndidnotwanttoreducetheChurchto
simplyapragmatic,politicalreality;hewantedtobringthesupernaturaldimen-
sionoftheChurchtobearontheconcreteproblemsandcrisesofthehuman
community,trustingthatthelightofChristcanillumineallhumansituations.
PopeJohnrenewedthishopeinhisopeningaddresstotheCouncil,delivered
onOctober11.WhentheCouncilopened,theCouncilFatherssentaMessage
toHumanityonOctober20,1962,whichexplicitlyacceptedtheagendaofPope
John,focusingespeciallyonthechallengeofbuildingpeace.
PopeJohnalsomadeamajorcontributionintheareaofreligiousfreedom,
whichisintegrallyrelatedtoCatholicinterreligiousrelations.Inhisfinalen-
cyclical,PaceminTerris,whichwasissuedearlyin1963,PopeJohnreversed
earlierCatholicteachingandclearlyaffirmedtherighttoreligiousfreedom,
makingacrucialdistinctionbetweenerrorandpersonswhoareinerror:“Itis
alwaysperfectlyjustifiabletodistinguishbetweenerrorassuchandtheperson
whofallsintoerrorleveninthecaseofmenwhoerrregardingthetruthorare
ledastrayasaresultoftheirinadequateknowledge,inmattersofreligionorof
thehighestethicalstandards.Amanwhohasfallenintoerrordoesnotceaseto
beaman.Heneverforfeitshispersonaldignity.”12Thisprinciplepreparedthe
wayforPopePaulVIandtheSecondVaticanCounciltoaffirmtherightofall
humanstoreligiousfreedominDignitatisHumanae.
10JohnXXIII,HumanaeSalutis,https://jakomonchak.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/humana-
e-salutis.pdf,accessedDecember14,2015.
11Ibid.
12PopeJohnXXIII,PaceminTerris,n.158,http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/en/en
cyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_11041963_pacem.html,accessedJanuary9,2016.