Resources for Teachers and Students on John Paul II

Prepare: Pope John Paul II served as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, making him one of the longest-reigning popes of all time. His official biography can be found on the Vatican's website.

Read: John Paul II's Architects of Peace essay is excerpted from a speech, "Peace on Earth to Those Whom God Loves!" he gave at the Vatican City celebration of the World Day of Peace in 1999. In it, he explores the futility of wars, since they "generally do not resolve the problems for which they are fought."

Explore: Although not one of the 14 papal encyclicals written by John Paul II was specifically addressed to the theme of peace, he would always deliver a sermon on this theme on New Year's Day. The text from each of these twenty-seven sermons can be found on the Vatican website.

Write: John Paul II hoped that the process of globalization would promote peace since it would enable humanity "to become a single family, built on the values of justice, equity and solidarity." But John Paul II was also critical of the downside of globalization, especially in terms of how it has tended to reduce the Church's sphere within society. Is warfare less likely to be conducted in a globalized community? Write a three-to-five page speculative essay on the relationship between peace and globalization.

Extend: Early in the year 2003, John Paul II gave a speech to the Vatican Diplomatic Corp which seemed to indicate that he did not see ample justification for the United States' invasion of Iraq because, among other reasons, war could only be justified as a last resort.

Additional Resource: One of the most definitive statements of Catholic theology regarding peace is the 1963 encyclical of Pope John XXIII, titled Pacem in Terris.

Biography of John Paul II