Abstract

Is modern Europe just a mental idea? Is it, as the moral force after World
War II, the power of reconciling nations, and of establishing and creating
peace? In the understanding of the Church, peace does not reduce itself
to the mere absence of war, but such a state is recognized as an essential
element in forming positive relations between countries and creating social
structures within them. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger assigns to Christians
certain tasks thanks to which world peace can be preserved. The Church
ought to instil the habit of defending it by exhibiting values which stand
up to war and violence, the most important of which is love towards fellow
human beings. Man has to sensitize himself to God in order to feel the
power of conscience, which will allow him to create good law in society.