Selections from PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD GAUDIUM ET SPES1 PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI ON DECEMBER 7,...
Selections from
PASTORAL CONSTITUTION
ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
GAUDIUM ET SPES 1
PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI
ON DECEMBER 7, 1965
PREFACE
1. The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who
are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the
followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs
is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey
to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for
every man. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by
the deepest of bonds.
2. Hence this Second Vatican Council, having probed more profoundly into the mystery of the
Church, now addresses itself without hesitation, not only to the sons of the Church and to al l who
invoke the name of Christ, but to the whole of humanity. For the council yearns to explain to
everyone how it conceives of the presence and activity of the Church in the world of today.
Therefore, the council focuses its attention on the world of men , the whole human family along with
the sum of those realities in the midst of which it lives; that world which is the theater of man's
history, and the heir of his energies, his tragedies and his triumphs; that world which the Christian
sees as created an d sustained by its Maker's love, fallen indeed into the bondage of sin, yet
emancipated now by Christ, Who was crucified and rose again to break the strangle hold of
personified evil, so that the world might be fashioned anew according to God's design and reach its
fulfillment.
3. Though mankind is stricken with wonder at its own discoveries and its power, it often raises
anxious questions about the current trend of the world, about the place and role of man in the
universe, about the meaning of its individ ual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny
of reality and of humanity. Hence, giving witness and voice to the faith of the whole people of God
gathered together by Christ, this council can provide no more eloquent proof of its solidarity with,
as well as its respect and love for the entire human family with which it is bound up, than by
engaging with it in conversation about these various problems. The council brings to mankind light
kindled from the Gospel, and puts at its disposal those saving resources which the Church herself,
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, receives from her Founder. For the human person deserves to
1 Text from http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat -
ii_const_19651207_gaudium -et-spes_en.html . be preserved; human society deserves to be renewed. Hence the focal point of our total presentation
will be man hi mself, whole and entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will.
Therefore, this sacred synod, proclaiming the noble destiny of man and championing the Godlike
seed which has been sown in him, offers to mankind the honest assistance of the Chur ch in
fostering that brotherhood of all men which corresponds to this destiny of theirs. Inspired by no
earthly ambition, the Church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the
lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue
and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served.(2)
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT THE SITUATION OF MEN IN THE MODERN
WORLD
4. To carry out such a task, the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizin g the signs of the times
and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation,
she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to
come, and about the relationsh ip of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and
understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic
characteristics. Some of the main features of the modern world can be sketched as follows.
Today, the human race is involved in a new stage of history. Profound and rapid changes are
spreading by degrees around the whole world. Triggered by the intelligence and creative energies of
man, these changes recoil upon him, upon his decisions and desires, both in dividual and collective,
and upon his manner of thinking and acting with respect to things and to people. Hence we can
already speak of a true cultural and social transformation, one which has repercussions on man's
religious life as well.
As happens in an y crisis of growth, this transformation has brought serious difficulties in its wake.
Thus while man extends his power in every direction, he does not always succeed in subjecting it to
his own welfare. Striving to probe more profoundly into the deeper rec esses of his own mind, he
frequently appears more unsure of himself. Gradually and more precisely he lays bare the laws of
society, only to be paralyzed by uncertainty about the direction to give it.
Never has the human race enjoyed such an abundance of we alth, resources and economic power,
and yet a huge proportion of the worlds citizens are still tormented by hunger and poverty, while
countless numbers suffer from total illiteracy. Never before has man had so keen an understanding
of freedom, yet at the s ame time new forms of social and psychological slavery make their
appearance. Although the world of today has a very vivid awareness of its unity and of how one man
depends on another in needful solidarity, it is most grievously torn into opposing camps by
conflicting forces. For political, social, economic, racial and ideological disputes still continue
bitterly, and with them the peril of a war which would reduce everything to ashes. True, there is a
growing exchange of ideas, but the very words by which key concepts are expressed take on quite
different meanings in diverse ideological systems. Finally, man painstakingly searches for a better
world, without a corresponding spiritual advancement.
Influenced by such a variety of complexities, many of our con temporaries are kept from accurately
identifying permanent values and adjusting them properly to fresh discoveries. As a result, buffeted between hope and anxiety and pressing one another with questions about the present course of
events, they are burdened down with uneasiness. This same course of events leads men to look for
answers; indeed, it forces them to do so.
5. Today's spiritual agitation and the changing conditions of life are part of a broader and deeper
revolution. As a result of the latter, int ellectual formation is ever increasingly based on the
mathematical and natural sciences and on those dealing with man himself, while in the practical
order the technology which stems from these sciences takes on mounting importance.
This scientific spirit has a new kind of impact on the cultural sphere and on modes of thought.
Technology is now transforming the face of the earth, and is already trying to master outer space. To
a certain extent, the human intellect is also broadening its dominion over time: over the past by
means of historical knowledge; over the future, by the art of projecting and by planning.
Advances in biology, psychology, and the social sciences not only bring men hope of improved self -
knowledge; in conjunction with technical methods, t hey are helping men exert direct influence on
the life of social groups.
At the same time, the human race is giving steadily -increasing thought to forecasting and regulating
its own population growth. History itself speeds along on so rapid a course that a n individual person
can scarcely keep abreast of it. The destiny of the human community has become all of a piece,
where once the various groups of men had a kind of private history of their own.
Thus, the human race has passed from a rather static concept of reality to a more dynamic,
evolutionary one. In consequence there has arisen a new series of problems, a series as numerous as
can be, calling for efforts of analysis and synthesis.
6. By this very circumstance, the traditional local communities such a s families, clans, tribes, villages,
various groups and associations stemming from social contacts, experience more thorough changes
every day.
The industrial type of society is gradually being spread, leading some nations to economic affluence,
and radica lly transforming ideas and social conditions established for centuries.
Likewise, the cult and pursuit of city living has grown, either because of a multiplication of cities and
their inhabitants, or by a transplantation of city life to rural settings.
New and more efficient media of social communication are contributing to the knowledge of events;
by setting off chain reactions they are giving the swiftest and widest possible circulation to styles of
thought and feeling.
It is also noteworthy how many men are being induced to migrate on various counts, and are
thereby changing their manner of life. Thus a man's ties with his fellows are constantly being
multiplied, and at the same time "socialization" brings further ties, without however always
promoting ap propriate personal development and truly personal relationships. This kind of evolution can be seen more clearly in those nations which already enjoy the
conveniences of economic and technological progress, though it is also astir among peoples still
striv ing for such progress and eager to secure for themselves the advantages of an industrialized and
urbanized society. These peoples, especially those among them who are attached to older traditions,
are simultaneously undergoing a movement toward more mature and personal exercise of liberty.
7. A change in attitudes and in human structures frequently calls accepted values into question,
especially among young people, who have grown impatient on more than one occasion, and indeed
become rebels in their distres s. Aware of their own influence in the life of society, they want a part
in it sooner. This frequently causes parents and educators to experience greater difficulties day by
day in discharging their tasks. The institutions, laws and modes of thinking and f eeling as handed
down from previous generations do not always seem to be well adapted to the contemporary state
of affairs; hence arises an upheaval in the manner and even the norms of behavior.
Finally, these new conditions have their impact on religion. On the one hand a more critical ability
to distinguish religion from a magical view of the world and from the superstitions which still
circulate purifies it and exacts day by day a more personal and explicit adherence to faith. As a result
many persons ar e achieving a more vivid sense of God. On the other hand, growing numbers of
people are abandoning religion in practice. Unlike former days, the denial of God or of religion, or
the abandonment of them, are no longer unusual and individual occurrences. For today it is not rare
for such things to be presented as requirements of scientific progress or of a certain new humanism.
In numerous places these views are voiced not only in the teachings of philosophers, but on every
side they influence literature, the arts, the interpretation of the humanities and of history and civil
laws themselves. As a consequence, many people are shaken.
8. This development coming so rapidly and often in a disorderly fashion, combined with keener
awareness itself of the inequaliti es in the world beget or intensify contradictions and imbalances.
Within the individual person there develops rather frequently an imbalance between an intellect
which is modern in practical matters and a theoretical system of thought which can neither mas ter
the sum total of its ideas, nor arrange them adequately into a synthesis. Likewise an imbalance arises
between a concern for practicality and efficiency, and the demands of moral conscience; also very
often between the conditions of collective existenc e and the requisites of personal thought, and even
of contemplation. At length there develops an imbalance between specialized human activity and a
comprehensive view of reality.
As for the family, discord results from population, economic and social press ures, or from
difficulties which arise between succeeding generations, or from new social relationships between
men and women.
Differences crop up too between races and between various kinds of social orders; between wealthy
nations and those which are les s influential or are needy; finally, between international institutions
born of the popular desire for peace, and the ambition to propagate one's own ideology, as well as
collective greeds existing in nations or other groups.
What results is mutual distrus t, enmities, conflicts and hardships. Of such is man at once the cause
and the victim. 9. Meanwhile the conviction grows not only that humanity can and should increasingly consolidate
its control over creation, but even more, that it devolves on humanity t o establish a political, social
and economic order which will growingly serve man and help individuals as well as groups to affirm
and develop the dignity proper to them.
As a result many persons are quite aggressively demanding those benefits of which wit h vivid
awareness they judge themselves to be deprived either through injustice or unequal distribution.
Nations on the road to progress, like those recently made independent, desire to participate in the
goods of modern civilization, not only in the polit ical field but also economically, and to play their
part freely on the world scene. Still they continually fall behind while very often their economic and
other dependence on wealthier nations advances more rapidly.
People hounded by hunger call upon those better off. Where they have not yet won it, women claim
for themselves an equity with men before the law and in fact. Laborers and farmers seek not only to
provide for the necessities of life, but to develop the gifts of their personality by their labors and
indeed to take part in regulating economic, social, political and cultural life. Now, for the first time in
human history all people are convinced that the benefits of culture ought to be and actually can be
extended to everyone.
Still, beneath all the se demands lies a deeper and more widespread longing: persons and societies
thirst for a full and free life worthy of man; one in which they can subject to their own welfare all
that the modern world can offer them so abundantly. In addition, nations try h arder every day to
bring about a kind of universal community.
Since all these things are so, the modern world shows itself at once powerful and weak, capable of
the noblest deeds or the foulest; before it lies the path to freedom or to slavery, to progress or
retreat, to brotherhood or hatred. Moreover, man is becoming aware that it is his responsibility to
guide aright the forces which he has unleashed and which can enslave him or minister to him. That
is why he is putting questions to himself.
10. The tru th is that the imbalances under which the modern world labors are linked with that more
basic imbalance which is rooted in the heart of man. For in man himself many elements wrestle with
one another. Thus, on the one hand, as a creature he experiences his limitations in a multitude of
ways; on the other he feels himself to be boundless in his desires and summoned to a higher life.
Pulled by manifold attractions he is constantly forced to choose among them and renounce some.
Indeed, as a weak and sinful bein g, he often does what he would not, and fails to do what he
would.(1) Hence he suffers from internal divisions, and from these flow so many and such great
discords in society. No doubt many whose lives are infected with a practical materialism are blinded
against any sharp insight into this kind of dramatic situation; or else, weighed down by unhappiness
they are prevented from giving the matter any thought. Thinking they have found serenity in an
interpretation of reality everywhere proposed these days, ma ny look forward to a genuine and total
emancipation of humanity wrought solely by human effort; they are convinced that the future rule of
man over the earth will satisfy every desire of his heart. Nor are there lacking men who despair of
any meaning to li fe and praise the boldness of those who think that human existence is devoid of
any inherent significance and strive to confer a total meaning on it by their own ingenuity alone. Nevertheless, in the face of the modern development of the world, the number constantly swells of
the people who raise the most basic questions or recognize them with a new sharpness: what is
man? What is this sense of sorrow, of evil, of death, which continues to exist despite so much
progress? What purpose have these victories pu rchased at so high a cost? What can man offer to
society, what can he expect from it? What follows this earthly life?
The Church firmly believes that Christ, who died and was raised up for all,(2) can through His Spirit
offer man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. Nor has any other name
under the heaven been given to man by which it is fitting for him to be saved.(3) She likewise holds
that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man,
as well as of all human history. The Church also maintains that beneath all changes there are many
realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in Christ, Who is the same
yesterday and today, yes and forever.(4) Hence under the light of Christ, the image of the unseen
God, the firstborn of every creature,(5) the council wishes to speak to all men in order to shed light
on the mystery of man and to cooperate in finding the solution to the outstanding problems of our
time.
PA RT I
THE CHURCH AND MAN'S CALLING
11. The People of God believes that it is led by the Lord's Spirit, Who fills the earth. Motivated by
this faith, it labors to decipher authentic signs of God's presence and purpose in the happenings,
needs and desires in which this People has a part along with other men of our age. For faith throws
a new light on everything, manifests God's design for man's total vocation, and thus directs the mind
to solutions which are fully human.
This council, first of all, wishes to a ssess in this light those values which are most highly prized today
and to relate them to their divine source. Insofar as they stem from endowments conferred by God
on man, these values are exceedingly good. Yet they are often wrenched from their rightful function
by the taint in man's heart, and hence stand in need of purification.
What does the Church think of man? What needs to be recommended for the upbuilding of
contemporary society? What is the ultimate significance of human activity throughout the wo rld?
People are waiting for an answer to these questions. From the answers it will be increasingly clear
that the People of God and the human race in whose midst it lives render service to each other.
Thus the mission of the Church will show its religious, and by that very fact, its supremely human
character.
CHAPTER I
THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
12. According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and unbelievers alike, all things on
earth should be related to man as their center and crown. But what is man? About himself he has expressed, and continues to express, many divergent and
even contradictory opinions. In these he often exalts himself as the absolute measure of all things or
debases himself to the point of despair. The result is doubt an d anxiety. The Church certainly
understands these problems. Endowed with light from God, she can offer solutions to them, so that
man's true situation can be portrayed and his defects explained, while at the same time his dignity
and destiny are justly ack nowledged.
For Sacred Scripture teaches that man was created "to the image of God," is capable of knowing and
loving his Creator, and was appointed by Him as master of all earthly creatures(1) that he might
subdue them and use them to God's glory.(2) "What is man that you should care for him? You have
made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him
rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet" (Ps. 8:5 -7).
But God did not create man as a solitary, for from the beginning "male and female he created them"
(Gen. 1:27). Their companionship produces the primary form of interpersonal communion. For by
his innermost nature man is a social being, and unless he relates himself to others he can nei ther live
nor develop his potential.
Therefore, as we read elsewhere in Holy Scripture God saw "all that he had made, and it was very
good" (Gen. 1:31).
13. Although he was made by God in a state of holiness, from the very onset of his history man
abused h is liberty, at the urging of the Evil One. Man set himself against God and sought to attain
his goal apart from God. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, but their
senseless minds were darkened and they served the creature rather than t he Creator.(3) What divine
revelation makes known to us agrees with experience. Examining his heart, man finds that he has
inclinations toward evil too, and is engulfed by manifold ills which cannot come from his good
Creator. Often refusing to acknowledge God as his beginning, man has disrupted also his proper
relationship to his own ultimate goal as well as his whole relationship toward himself and others and
all created things.
Therefore man is split within himself. As a result, all of human life, whethe r individual or collective,
shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. Indeed,
man finds that by himself he is incapable of battling the assaults of evil successfully, so that everyone
feels as though he is bo und by chains. But the Lord Himself came to free and strengthen man,
renewing him inwardly and casting out that "prince of this world" (John 12:31) who held him in the
bondage of sin.(4) For sin has diminished man, blocking his path to fulfillment.
The cal l to grandeur and the depths of misery, both of which are a part of human experience, find
their ultimate and simultaneous explanation in the light of this revelation.
14. Though made of body and soul, man is one. Through his bodily composition he gathers to
himself the elements of the material world; thus they reach their crown through him, and through
him raise their voice in free praise of the Creator.(6) For this reason man is not allowed to despise
his bodily life, rather he is obliged to regard his bo dy as good and honorable since God has created it
and will raise it up on the last day. Nevertheless, wounded by sin, man experiences rebellious stirrings in his body. But the very dignity of man postulates that man glorify God in his body and
forbid it to serve the evil inclinations of his heart.
Now, man is not wrong when he regards himself as superior to bodily concerns, and as more than a
speck of nature or a nameless constituent of the city of man. For by his interior qualities he outstrips
the whole s um of mere things. He plunges into the depths of reality whenever he enters into his
own heart; God, Who probes the heart,(7) awaits him there; there he discerns his proper destiny
beneath the eyes of God. Thus, when he recognizes in himself a spiritual an d immortal soul, he is
not being mocked by a fantasy born only of physical or social influences, but is rather laying hold of
the proper truth of the matter.
15. Man judges rightly that by his intellect he surpasses the material universe, for he shares in the
light of the divine mind. By relentlessly employing his talents through the ages he has indeed made
progress in the practical sciences and in technology and the liberal arts. In our times he has won
superlative victories, especially in his probing of t he material world and in subjecting it to himself.
Still he has always searched for more penetrating truths, and finds them. For his intelligence is not
confined to observable data alone, but can with genuine certitude attain to reality itself as knowable,
though in consequence of sin that certitude is partly obscured and weakened.
The intellectual nature of the human person is perfected by wisdom and needs to be, for wisdom
gently attracts the mind of man to a quest and a love for what is true and good. St eeped in wisdom.
man passes through visible realities to those which are unseen.
Our era needs such wisdom more than bygone ages if the discoveries made by man are to be further
humanized. For the future of the world stands in peril unless wiser men are fo rthcoming. It should
also be pointed out that many nations, poorer in economic goods, are quite rich in wisdom and can
offer noteworthy advantages to others.
It is, finally, through the gift of the Holy Spirit that man comes by faith to the contemplation a nd
appreciation of the divine plan.(8)
16. In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but
which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of
conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law
written by God; to obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.(9) Conscience
is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whos e voice echoes in
his depths.(10) In a wonderful manner conscience reveals that law which is fulfilled by love of God
and neighbor.(11) In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search
for truth, and for the genuine solut ion to the numerous problems which arise in the life of
individuals from social relationships. Hence the more right conscience holds sway, the more persons
and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by the objective norms of morality.
Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity. The same cannot be
said for a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or for a conscience which by degrees
grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin.
17 . Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness. Our contemporaries make much of
this freedom and pursue it eagerly; and rightly to be sure. Often however they foster it perversely as a license for doing whatever pleases them, even if it is evil. For its part, authentic freedom is an
exceptional sign of the divine image within man. For God has willed that man remain "under the
control of his own decisions,"(12) so that he can seek his Creator spontaneously, and come freely to
utter and blissful per fection through loyalty to Him. Hence man's dignity demands that he act
according to a knowing and free choice that is personally motivated and prompted from within, not
under blind internal impulse nor by mere external pressure. Man achieves such dignity when,
emancipating himself from all captivity to passion, he pursues his goal in a spontaneous choice of
what is good, and procures for himself through effective and skilful action, apt helps to that end.
Since man's freedom has been damaged by sin, only b y the aid of God's grace can he bring such a
relationship with God into full flower. Before the judgement seat of God each man must render an
account of his own life, whether he has done good or evil.(13)
18. It is in the face of death that the riddle a hu man existence grows most acute. Not only is man
tormented by pain and by the advancing deterioration of his body, but even more so by a dread of
perpetual extinction. He rightly follows the intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the
utter rui n and total disappearance of his own person. He rebels against death because he bears in
himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to sheer matter. All the endeavors of technology,
though useful in the extreme, cannot calm his anxiety; for prolongati on of biological life is unable to
satisfy that desire for higher life which is inescapably lodged in his breast.
Although the mystery of death utterly beggars the imagination, the Church has been taught by divine
revelation and firmly teaches that man has been created by God for a blissful purpose beyond the
reach of earthly misery. In addition, that bodily death from which man would have been immune
had he not sinned(14) will be vanquished, according to the Christian faith, when man who was
ruined by his own doing is restored to wholeness by an almighty and merciful Saviour. For God has
called man and still calls him so that with his entire being he might be joined to Him in an endless
sharing of a divine life beyond all corruption. Christ won this victory when He rose to life, for by
His death He freed man from death. Hence to every thoughtful man a solidly established faith
provides the answer to his anxiety about what the future holds for him. At the same time faith gives
him the power to be united in Ch rist with his loved ones who have already been snatched away by
death; faith arouses the hope that they have found true life with God.
19. The root reason for human dignity lies in man's call to communion with God. From the very
circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For man would not exist
were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according
to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator. St ill, many of
our contemporaries have never recognized this intimate and vital link with God, or have explicitly
rejected it. Thus atheism must be accounted among the most serious problems of this age, and is
deserving of closer examination.
The word atheis m is applied to phenomena which are quite distinct from one another. For while
God is expressly denied by some, others believe that man can assert absolutely nothing about Him.
Still others use such a method to scrutinize the question of God as to make it seem devoid of
meaning. Many, unduly transgressing the limits of the positive sciences, contend that everything can
be explained by this kind of scientific reasoning alone, or by contrast, they altogether disallow that
there is any absolute truth. Some lau d man so extravagantly that their faith in God lapses into a kind
of anemia, though they seem more inclined to affirm man than to deny God. Again some form for themselves such a fallacious idea of God that when they repudiate this figment they are by no me ans
rejecting the God of the Gospel. Some never get to the point of raising questions about God, since
they seem to experience no religious stirrings nor do they see why they should trouble themselves
about religion. Moreover, atheism results not rarely fr om a violent protest against the evil in this
world, or from the absolute character with which certain human values are unduly invested, and
which thereby already accords them the stature of God. Modern civilization itself often complicates
the approach to God not for any essential reason but because it is so heavily engrossed in earthly
affairs.
Undeniably, those who willfully shut out God from their hearts and try to dodge religious questions
are not following the dictates of their consciences, and hence are not free of blame; yet believers
themselves frequently bear some responsibility for this situation. For, taken as a whole, atheism is
not a spontaneous development but stems from a variety of causes, including a critical reaction
against religious beli efs, and in some places against the Christian religion in particular. Hence
believers can have more than a little to do with the birth of atheism. To the extent that they neglect
their own training in the faith, or teach erroneous doctrine, or are deficien t in their religious, moral
or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than reveal the authentic face of God and religion.
20. Modern atheism often takes on a systematic expression which, in addition to other causes,
stretches the desires for huma n independence to such a point that it poses difficulties against any
kind of dependence on God. Those who profess atheism of this sort maintain that it gives man
freedom to be an end unto himself, the sole artisan and creator of his own history. They clai m that
this freedom cannot be reconciled with the affirmation of a Lord Who is author and purpose of all
things, or at least that this freedom makes such an affirmation altogether superfluous. Favoring this
doctrine can be the sense of power which modern t echnical progress generates in man.
Not to be overlooked among the forms of modern atheism is that which anticipates the liberation of
man especially through his economic and social emancipation. This form argues that by its nature
religion thwarts this li beration by arousing man's hope for a deceptive future life, thereby diverting
him from the constructing of the earthly city. Consequently when the proponents of this doctrine
gain governmental power they vigorously fight against religion, and promote athe ism by using,
especially in the education of youth, those means of pressure which public power has at its disposal.
21. In her loyal devotion to God and men, the Church has already repudiated(16) and cannot cease
repudiating, sorrowfully but as firmly as p ossible, those poisonous doctrines and actions which
contradict reason and the common experience of humanity, and dethrone man from his native
excellence.
Still, she strives to detect in the atheistic mind the hidden causes for the denial of God; conscious of
how weighty are the questions which atheism raises, and motivated by love for all men, she believes
these questions ought to be examined seriously and more profoundly.
The Church holds that the recognition of God is in no way hostile to man's dignity, since this
dignity is rooted and perfected in God. For man was made an intelligent and free member of society
by God Who created him, but even more importa nt, he is called as a son to commune with God and
share in His happiness. She further teaches that a hope related to the end of time does not diminish
the importance of intervening duties but rather undergirds the acquittal of them with fresh incentives. B y contrast, when a divine instruction and the hope of life eternal are wanting, man's
dignity is most grievously lacerated, as current events often attest; riddles of life and death, of guilt
and of grief go unsolved with the frequent result that men succu mb to despair.
Meanwhile every man remains to himself an unsolved puzzle, however obscurely he may perceive it.
For on certain occasions no one can entirely escape the kind of self -questioning mentioned earlier,
especially when life's major events take pla ce. To this questioning only God fully and most certainly
provides an answer as He summons man to higher knowledge and humbler probing.
The remedy which must be applied to atheism, however, is to be sought in a proper presentation of
the Church's teaching as well as in the integral life of the Church and her members. For it is the
function of the Church, led by the Holy Spirit Who renews and purifies her ceaselessly,(17) to make
God the Father and His Incarnate Son present and in a sense visible. This resul t is achieved chiefly
by the witness of a living and mature faith, namely, one trained to see difficulties clearly and to
master them. Many martyrs have given luminous witness to this faith and continue to do so. This
faith needs to prove its fruitfulness by penetrating the believer's entire life, including its worldly
dimensions, and by activating him toward justice and love, especially regarding the needy. What does
the most reveal God's presence, however, is the brotherly charity of the faithful who are united in
spirit as they work together for the faith of the Gospel(18) and who prove themselves a sign of
unity.
While rejecting atheism, root and branch, the Church sincerely professes that all men, believers and
unbelievers alike, ought to work for the r ightful betterment of this world in which all alike live; such
an ideal cannot be realized, however, apart from sincere and prudent dialogue. Hence the Church
protests against the distinction which some state authorities make between believers and unbeliev ers,
with prejudice to the fundamental rights of the human person. The Church calls for the active
liberty of believers to build up in this world God's temple too. She courteously invites atheists to
examine the Gospel of Christ with an open mind.
Above al l the Church knows that her message is in harmony with the most secret desires of the
human heart when she champions the dignity of the human vocation, restoring hope to those who
have already despaired of anything higher than their present lot. Far from d iminishing man, her
message brings to his development light, life and freedom. Apart from this message nothing will
avail to fill up the heart of man: "Thou hast made us for Thyself," O Lord, "and our hearts are
restless till they rest in Thee."(19)
22. Th e truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on
light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come,(20) namely Christ the Lord.
Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Fathe r and His love, fully reveals man
to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the
aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.
He Who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15),(21) is Himself the perfect man. To the sons
of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since
human nature as He assumed it was not annulled,(22) by that very fact it has been raised up to a
divine dignity in ou r respect too. For by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some
fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice(23) and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made
one of us, like us in all things except sin.(24)
As an innocent lamb He merited for us life by the free shedding of His own blood. In Him God
reconciled us(25) to Himself and among ourselves; from bondage to the devil and sin He delivered
us, so that each one of us can say with the Apostle: The Son of God "loved me and gave Himself up
for me" (Gal. 2:20). By suffering for us He not only provided us with an example for our
imitation,(26) He blazed a trail, and if we follow it, life and death are ma de holy and take on a new
meaning.
The Christian man, conformed to the likeness of that Son Who is the firstborn of many
brothers,(27) received "the first -fruits of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:23) by which he becomes capable of
discharging the new law of love.(28) Through this Spirit, who is "the pledge of our inheritance"
(Eph. 1:14), the whole man is renewed from within, even to the achievement of "the redemption of
the body" (Rom. 8:23): "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the death dwells in you, then h e
who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also bring to life your mortal bodies because of his Spirit
who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11).(29) Pressing upon the Christian to be sure, are the need and the
duty to battle against evil through manifold tribulati ons and even to suffer death. But, linked with
the paschal mystery and patterned on the dying Christ, he will hasten forward to resurrection in the
strength which comes from hope.(30)
All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all men of good wil l in whose hearts grace works
in an unseen way.(31) For, since Christ died for all men,(32) and since the ultimate vocation of man
is in fact one, and divine, we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God
offers to every man the po ssibility of being associated with this paschal mystery.
Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian
revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart
from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has
lavished life upon us(33) so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father(34)
NOTES
Preface
1. The Pastoral Constitution "De Ecclesia in Mundo Huius Temporis" is made up of two parts; yet it constitutes an
organic unity. By way of explanation: the constitution is called "pastoral" because, while resting on doctrinal
principles, it seeks to express the relation of the Church to the world and mode rn mankind. The result is that, on the
one hand, a pastoral slant is present in the first part, and, on the other hand, a doctrinal slant is present in the second
part. In the first part, the Church develops her teaching on man, on the world which is the e nveloping context of
man's existence, and on man's relations to his fellow men. In part two, the Church gives closer consideration to
various aspects of modern life and human society; special consideration is given to those questions and problems
which, in this general area, seem to have a greater urgency in our day. As a result in part two the subject matter
which is viewed in the light of doctrinal principles is made up of diverse elements. Some elements have a permanent
value; others, only a transitory o ne. Consequently, the constitution must be interpreted according to the general
norms of theological interpretation. Interpreters must bear in mind —especially in part two —the changeable
circumstances which the subject matter, by its very nature, involves.
2. Cf. John 18:37; Matt . 20:28; Mark 10:45.
Introduction
1. Cf. Rom . 7:14 ff.
2. Cf. 2 Cor . 5:15.
3. Cf. Acts 4:12.
4. Cf. Heb . 13:8.
5. Cf. Col . 1:15.
PART I
Chapter I
1. Cf. Gen . 1:26, Wis . 2:23.
2. Cf. Sir . 17:3 -10.
3. Cf. Rom . 1:21 -25.
4. Cf. John 8:34.
5. Cf. Dan . 3:57 -90.
6. Cf. 1 Cor . 6:13 -20.
7. Cf. 1 Kings 16:7; Jer . 17:10.
8. Cf. Sir . 17:7 -8.
9. Cf. Rom . 2:15 -16.
10. Cf. Pius XII, Radio address on the correct formation of a Christian conscience in the young , March 23, 1952:
AAS (1952), p. 271.
11. Cf. Matt . 22:37 -40; Gal . 5:14.
12. Cf. Sir . 15:14.
13 Cf. 2 Cor . 5:10.
14 Cf. Wis . 1:13; 2:23 -24; Rom . 5:21; 6:23; Jas. 1:15.
15. Cf. 1 Cor . 15:56 -57.
16. Cf. Pius XI, encyclical letter Divini Redemptoris , March 19, 1937: AAS 29 (1937), pp. 65 -106; Pius XII,
encyclical letter Ad Apostolorum Principis , June 29, 1958: AAS 50 (1958) pp. 601 -614; John XXIII, encyclical
letter Mater et Magistra May 15, 1961: AAS 53 (1961), pp. 451 -453; Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam , Aug. 6, 1964: AAS
56 (1964), pp. 651 -653.
17. Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church , Ch apter I, n. 8: AAS 57 (1965), p. 12.
18 Cf. Phil . 1:27.
19. St. Augustine, Confessions I, 1: PL 32, 661.
20. Cf. Rom. 5: 14. Cf. Tertullian, De carnis resurrectione 6: "The shape that the slime of the earth was given was
intended with a view to Christ, the future man.": P. 2, 282; CSEL 47, p. 33, 1. 12 -13.
21. Cf. 2 Cor . 4:4.
22. Cf. Second Council of Constantinople , canon 7: "The divine Word was not changed into a human nature, nor
was a human nature absorbed by the Word." Denzinger 219 (428); Cf. also Third Council of Constantinople: "For
just as His most holy and immaculate human nature, though deified, was not destroyed (theotheisa ouk anerethe),
but rather remained in its proper state and mode of being": Denzinger 291 (556); Cf. Council of Chalcedon:" to be
acknowledged in two natures, without confusion change, division, or separation." Denzinger 148 (302).
23. Cf. Third Council of Constantinople : "and so His human will, though deified, is not destroyed": Denzinger 291
(556). 24. Cf. Heb . 4:15.
25. Cf. 2 Cor . 5:18 -19; Col. 1:20 -22.
26. Cf. 1 Pet . 2:21; Matt . 16:24; Luke 14:27.
27. Cf. Rom . 8:29; Col . 3:10 -14.
28. Cf. Rom . 8:1 -11.
29. Cf. 2 Cor . 4:14.
30. Cf. Phil . 3:19; Rom . 8:17.
31. Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church , Chapter 2, n. 16: AAS 57 (1965), p. 20.
32. Cf. Rom . 8:32.
33. Cf. The Byzantine Easter Liturgy .
34. Cf. Rom . 8:15 and Gal . 4:6; cf. also John 1:22 and John 3:1 -2.
