The Role of Catholic and Ecclesiastical Universities in Promoting Peace and Social Justice

The Catholic Church is committed to promoting peace and social justice. Beyond its theological and religious nature, the Church operates as a hierarchically organized institution. Its entities function within defined legal frameworks. Throughout history, the theoretical substantiation of peace—and war—has played a pivotal role in Catholic thought. This tradition has been primarily upheld by Catholic and ecclesiastical universities. The Second Vatican Council transformed the Church and positioned these universities to actively promote social justice. However, detailed regulatory frameworks for this mission were developed later, outside the immediate scope of conciliar documents. This study examines the legal and historical evolution of Catholic academic research on peace and war. The analysis focuses on methodological issues, identifying historical and current deficiencies in the investigation of security questions. It argues that Catholic and ecclesiastical universities have yet to fully develop transdisciplinary methods, despite such an approach being most effective for supporting the Church’s mission of universal peace.