Zagadnienie pokoju w nauczaniu Jana Pawła II

In this paper, the author seeks to present the teaching of John Paul II on a series of issues relating to peace. The analysis begins with a historical and doctrinal account of the issue of peace followed by a summary of the 20th century people and events which comprised the immediate context and source of the papal teachings on peace. This background enables the author to distill out the teaching which concerns defence of man from man and the interdependence between peace and democracy on the one hand and peace and the family on the other. These limits to the subject at hand have been chosen because of a need to limit the scope of the paper and with special regard to the characteristic traits which especially marked the teaching of Blessed Pope John Paul II. A study of the writings of John Paul II on peace and war bears out that their author was a man of realism and hope who knew what war meant and also knew that peace was possible. As a 'religious leader' he not only spoke of God, but also of man - to the extent that his teachings are those of a veritable expert on human matters. Such a perspective is especially fitting for the Catholic faith: getting to know God leads to getting to know man. The lack of peace in today’s world comes of an erroneous understanding of man. It comes about as a consequence of the ‘anthropological error’ of a fragmentary definition of man and a denial of natural law.