This year’s International Day of Peace occurs as the midterm elections approach and people of faith are called to be peacemakers. The world day of peace was established by the United Nations in 1981 to encourage support for disarmament and peace, but this year it comes at a time of mounting nuclear weapons danger and the continuation of wars in Ukraine, Iran and beyond. The risk of nuclear war is greater now than in decades, reflected in the decision of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to move its iconic Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than it has ever been. Compounding the risk is the integration of AI technology into nuclear command and control systems worldwide. These worrisome trends have prompted church leaders to sound the alarm and call for a greater commitment to peace. “I invite everyone to join in prayer and action,” Pope Leo XIV said recently, “that we may become channels of the living water of God’s peace, refreshing our wounded world.”
David Cortright. “Assessing Pacem in Terris 50 Years On: A Personal Odyssey.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought. September 21, 2026
David Cortright 