Diplomacy of Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI on peaceful coexistence in the Context of the war in Vietnam from 1964 to 1967
Résumé
As he faced the threat caused by the arms race, in particular nuclear, Pope John XXIII doesn’t hesitate to quote the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. “The essential aim of the United Nations is to maintain and consolidate peace among peoples and to foster and develop friendly relations between them, based on the principle of equality, mutual respect and wide collaboration in all areas of human activity”. Pope John XXIII doesn’t intervene directly in the ONU, but he confirms the role of the United Nations, which must continue to inspire human institutions through human rights, as a necessary condition for justice and peace. It should be noted that the Executive Vice- President and Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Center in the United States had begun work on a draft peace plan inspired by the Encyclical Pacem in terris of Pope John XXIII. Two Colloquies will follow to try to concretize the fruits of this Encyclical.