Vatican archbishop recalls role of Bl. Paul VI in international affairs

October 08, 2015

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, recalled the role of Blessed Paul VI in international affairs and particular in relations between the Holy See and and the United Nations.

Archbishop Gallagher spoke at a forum in Brescia, Italy, organized to mark the 50^th anniversary of the speech by Pope Paul VI to the UN General Assembly. It had been under Pope Paul, in 1964, that the Holy See became an active participant in UN affairs, becoming a permanent observer.

The archbishop observed that Pope Paul VI stressed the importance of dialogue in maintaining world peace, at a time when that peace was severely threatened by the Cold War and the arms race. “Pope Montini saw the theme of peace as an urgent and imperative duty, emphasized both by doctrinal reflections on the role of the Church in the contemporary world and the development of international institutions.”

However, Bl. Paul VI saw the quest for peace as involving more than merely avoiding warfare, Archbishop Gallagher said. He recalled that Pope Paul argued that “peace cannot be constructed solely through politics and the balance of forces and interests, but rather with the spirit, with ideas, and with works of peace.” In that context, in his encyclical Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI said that the prospects for world peace could be enhanced if wealthy nations helped the poor to improve their standards of living.  

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Paul VI, champion of dialogue between peoples (VIS)