The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1959-11-27
Text of Freedom and Peace


full text of the statement
entitled Freedom N
Peace" issued by the AID
minisfrafive Board of ths
National Catholic Wei
fare Conference or be-
half of the Cardinals,
Archbishops and Bishops
of the United States, fol-
lowing their annual meet
ing in Washington.
All the world Graves
peace. Without freedom
under God for every man
and for every nation,
there can be no peace.
On his recent visit to our
country the communist spokes-
man took every opportunity
to compare unfavorably, capt.
talism with communism in
their economic aspects. This
is not the basic issue. The
choice that men and nations
must make today is between
freedom and coercion.
SUCH WORDS AS "DE-
AcY." republic"
"peace," and friendship" are
words to which the Western
world is long accustomed.
These words have been taken
into their current vocabulary
by the proponents of COM
munism. But while we may
use the same words, we are
not speaking the same lam
guage. BY peace" the COM
munist means submission TO
his program. BY Friendship"
he means the acceptance on
the part of others of his for
mula for coexistence.
Freedom is not the product
of any political or social sys-
tenn; it is mans natural birth
right, and, in the words of
Pope Leo XIII. ''the highest
Of mans natural endow-
ments."
THIS FREEDOM under God
permits mar to use his facul-
ties for his own just benefit
and for the service Of his
fellow man in accordance with
the law of God. Furthermore,
to protect the freedom and
rights Of its citizens, each
nation has the right to be free.
OUR COUNTRY was ICON.
ceived in liberty and dedicat-
ed to the proposition that all
men are created equal" This
recognition of the dignity of
every citizen, endowed with
inalienable rights that r
God-giyen is indelibly woven
into the origin and history Of
the American republic.
Ours is q tradition of free
dom under God with Justice
and charity for all. II seems
opportune TO emphasize the
importance of this heritage of
freedom. In IL lies the moral
strength that makes the con-
tribution OF America TO the
worlds rebuilding unique and
distinctive.
Above and beyond the ma
terial aid that we distribute
so generously around the
globe TO those in need, we
should be equally concerned
in sharing our ideals of liber-
ty and justice. Proper stand
ards of living and material
prosperity are not enough.
These are but means to an
end and not in themselves the
goal we would attain, if world
peace is, as il should be, the
aim Of all our efforts.
a &, AS demonstrated
by our nations experience,
rests on disciplined freedom
with its attendant virtues.
True peace for nations as well
as for individuals comes from
justice, from charity, from the
faithful observance of the
moral law. The might of arms
can do no more for peace
than to discourage aggressors
that are belligerent.
Paefs and treaties can bring
at best an uneasy truce, re.
strsinins an open hostility
without achieving friendship
or understanding. Not ever in
ternafional organizations and
international law, essential as
they are for order in the
world, can bring about world
peace. Fundamentally, that
peace depends on the &C.
eeptanee by men and nations
OF q fixed, Interchangeable, uni
versaI moral law.
There is no need to retell
the noble efforts that have
been made in behalf of peace
since the dawn of the present
century. Nor is there need TO
retell the dlsappointmentS
that have laid low the hopes
OF men. The two most destruc-
tive wars in history have left
their indelible mark on the
first half Of our century. Now,
we'll into the second half, men
live under the threat of a
third world war that would be
UNNECESSARILY more destruc-
tive.
WE MUST RECOGNIZE that
the chief obstacles to peace
are the obstacles to real free
dom. First amonP the main