Catholic Church > Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales > Working Internationally > International Justice and Peace
Jesus' first words to the disciples after the Resurrection were: "Peace be with you"(Jn 20:19, 21, 26).
In his 1972 message for the Day of Peace, Pope Paul VI wrote: "If you want peace, work for justice."
In his message for the World Day of Peace in 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote: "John XXIII identified the essential conditions for peace in four precise requirements of the human spirit: truth, justice, love and freedom ... Religion has a vital role in fostering gestures of peace and in consolidating conditions for peace. It exercises this role all the more effectively if it concentrates on what is proper to it: attention to God, the fostering of universal brotherhood and the spreading of a culture of human solidarity."
The Church in England and Wales, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and supported by the National Justice and Peace Network, promotes justice and peace in the world, in the light of the Gospel and of the social teaching of the Church.
Go to the Department of International Affairs to find out about the bishops' work in international justice and peace.