«A Gift and a Challenge»: The Concept of Peace in the Social Teaching of the Church

This article aims to present the essence of the Catholic concept of peace based on the critical analysis of sources from social documents of the Church and papal teaching and literature on the subject. Based on the biblical foundation and personalistic anthropology, the vision of peace appears intensely realistic and integral, first embracing its internal harmony and then extending into social relations. A novelty compared to other approaches is the linking of peace with the category of the common good. Peace in Catholic social thought is presented as a key element of the social order, which is moral by nature. In the context of some contemporary pacifist trends, the need to de-ideologize concern for peace is emphasized.