On May 3, 1983, the U.S. Catholic bishops published “The Challenge of Peace: God’s promise and our response,” a pastoral letter which focused primarily on the futility of nuclear weapons and the responsibility of the Church to promote peace and nonviolence.
Read the entire document using this link.
Use this link to watch the video from our May 24 webinar on “The Challenge of Peace.”
The final version of the letter, which had been proposed by Bishop Tom Gumbleton and other Pax Christi bishops, was a combination of drafts submitted by the Pax Christi USA Disarmament Commission and the staff of what was then known as the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Written during the Cold War and the presidency of Ronald Reagan (a strong supporter of nuclear weapons), the document was a significant rebuke to the arms race and the expanding military budget.
On May 24, Pax Christi USA hosted a special webinar to discuss “The Challenge of Peace” and its relevance to our work today. Speakers included Pax Christi USA Bishop President John Stowe, OFM Conv.; Dr. Lisa Sowle Cahill from Boston College; Pax Christi USA National Council member Josephine Garnem; and Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and USCCB staff member Donna Toliver Grimes.
Use this link to to watch the video recording of the May 24 webinar.
Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Joe Fahey, the convener of Pax Christi USA’s Disarmament Commission in the early 1980s, wrote an extensive report on the history the pastoral letter for The Journal of Social Encounters, Vol. 6, 2022. It is a fascinating account of one of the key moments in our movement. Use this link to read his entire essay.
Use this link to read “‘The Challenge of Peace’ 40 years later,” written by Mark Pattison for Catholic News Service, published October 15, 2022, in UCA News.
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