Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award

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The Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award is a Catholic peace award which has been given annually since 1964, in commemoration of the 1963 encyclical letter Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth) of Pope John XXIII. It is awarded "to honor a person for their achievements in peace and justice, not only in their country but in the world", [1] and has been granted to people of many different creeds.

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The award was begun in 1963 by the Davenport Catholic Interracial Council [2] of the Diocese of Davenport in the U.S. state of Iowa. Since 1976, the award has been presented each year by the Quad Cities (Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in northwestern Illinois) Pacem in Terris Coalition. In 2010, sponsors of the award were the Diocese of Davenport, St. Ambrose University, Augustana College, Churches United of the Quad-Cities, Pax Christi, The Catholic Messenger, the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, the Sisters of St. Benedict, the Muslim Community of the Quad Cities, and the Sisters of St. Francis. [3]

Six recipients have also received a Nobel Peace Prize. Two recipients are Servants of God, meaning that they are being reviewed by the Catholic Church for possible canonization as a saint, while a third, Mother Teresa, has been canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

Award winners

YearImageRecipientNationality or Base CountryCitation
1964 John Howard Griffin [1]
(1920–1980)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for his "powerful book, Black Like Me, which has showed us how we are too often judged not by the content of our character but by the color of our skin."
John F. Kennedy, White House color photo portrait.jpg John F. Kennedy
(b. 1917–1963)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "awakened in us a hope that no problem was too great to conquer — race relations, violence or poverty — when citizens work together" (posthumously awarded)
1965 Martin Luther King, Jr..jpg Martin Luther King Jr.
(1929–1968)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "challenged us to dream of a world transformed through nonviolent civil rights activism."
1966 Sargent Shriver 1961.jpg Sargent Shriver
(1915–2011)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "taught us that one person can indeed make a difference."
1967 A. Philip Randolph 1963 NYWTS.jpg A. Philip Randolph
(1889–1979)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for his "efforts to organize railway employees convinced us that the dignity of work must be rewarded with a just wage."
1968 James Groppi
(1930–1985)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for "waking people to the injustice of unfair housing and racial prejudice in Milwaukee."
1969 Saul Alinsky.jpg Saul Alinsky
(1909–1972)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "taught people how to organize and to act together in promoting justice in society."
1970Not awarded
1971
1972 Dorothy Day, 1916 (cropped).jpg Dorothy Day
(1897–1980)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "founded the Catholic Worker Movement and reminded us to look for Christ in the faces of the poor."
1973Not awarded
1974 Harold Hughes, US Senator.jpg Harold Hughes
(1922–1996)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "brought the message of the Gospel to the cause of equal education, civil rights and opposition to capital punishment."
1975 Helder Camara 1974.jpg Hélder Câmara
(1909–1999)
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil as "gentle shepherd of the poor of northwestern Brazil, who embraced the impoverished and gave sharp prophecy to the wealthy."
1976 Mother Teresa 1.jpg Mother Teresa, M.C.
(1910–1997)
Flag of Albania.svg Albania
Flag of India.svg India
who "gave hope to the desperate and offered light to those living in abject poverty."
1977Not awarded
1978
1979 Thomas Gumbleton (1983).jpg Thomas Gumbleton
(b. 1930)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "challenged church leadership to embrace nonviolence instead of the just war theory."
1980 Crystal Lee Sutton
(1940–2009)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "organized labor in the South and reminded us that equal work demands equal pay."
Ernest Leo Unterkoefler
(1917–1993)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "advocated for the rights of workers and helped to buoy the labor movement among the poor in Appalachia."
1981Not awarded
1982 Kennan.jpeg George F. Kennan
(1904–2004)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "realized that the only hope for solving the world's problems lies in abandoning violence."
1983 Helen Caldicott, 2007 (cropped).jpg Helen Caldicott
(b. 1938)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having " spoken on behalf of the world's children in the face of possible nuclear holocaust."
1984Not awarded
1985 Joseph Bernardin
(1928–1996)
Flag of the United States.svg United States "through his notion of the consistent ethic of life and the seamless garment taught us that all life is God-given and therefore precious."
1986 Maurice John Dingman
(1914–1992)
Flag of the United States.svg United States "through his love for the land worked for peace and justice and reminded all of us of our roots in the soil."
1987 Archbishop-Tutu-medium.jpg Desmond Tutu
(1931–2021)
Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa for having "helped free South Africa from the yoke of apartheid, teaching the entire world that racial injustice is sacrilege."
1988Not awarded
1989 Eileen Egan
(1912–2000)
Flag of the United States.svg United States "through her work with Pax Christi and Catholic Relief Services addressed the world's problems through missionary zeal and creative nonviolence."
1990 Mairead Corrigan Gaza (cropped).jpg Mairead Maguire
(b. 1944)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland
for having "become a global force against violence in the name of religion."
1991 Maria Julia Hernandez. fighter of justice and defense of human rights.jpg María Julia Hernández
(1939–2007)
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador for having "directed the Human Rights Committee and spoke for the victims of the long civil war in El Salvador."
1992 Cesar Chavez, 1972 (cropped).jpg Cesar Chavez
(1927–1993)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "become a passionate voice for workers who have long been disenfranchised."
1993 NLN Dan Berrigan 2008a.jpg Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
(1921–2016)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "offered powerful witness on behalf of peace and justice."
1994Not awarded
1995 Jim Wallis - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012.jpg Jim Wallis
(b. 1948)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having " brought people of faith to espouse radical social engagement."
1996 Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia.jpg Samuel Ruiz
(1924–2011)
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico for having "lent great courage to his fight against violence and injustice inflicted against the poor and oppressed of Chiapas, Mexico."
1997 James W. Douglass
(b. 1937)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "been steadfast in their efforts to build a world of peace based on justice."
Shelley Douglass
(b. 1940)
1998 HelenPrejean (cropped).jpg Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
(b. 1939)
Flag of the United States.svg United States "through her loving presence on death row has fostered reconciliation and spiritual healing."
1999 Adolfo Perez Esquivel, premio Nobel de la Paz en 1980, Visito al Presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Fernando Cordero. (5076794488).jpg Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
(b. 1931)
Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina for having "inspired the world with his Gospel-rooted work on behalf of Argentina's 'disappeared ones.'"
2000 George G. Higgins
(1916–2002)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "wove together communities of faith and organized labor to support economic justice."
2001 Lech Walesa (2019), FORUM 2000, Prague (2).jpg Lech Wałęsa
(b. 1943)
Flag of Poland.svg Poland for having "become a global leader for freedom and democracy."
2002 Gwen Hennessey, O.S.F.
(b. 1932)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "devoted their lives and ministry to local activism on global issues of peace and justice."
Dorothy Hennessey, O.S.F.
(1913–2008)
2003Not awarded
2004 Simon Arthur in 2008.jpg Arthur Simon
(b. 1930)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "shown how one person can make a difference alleviating world hunger."
2005 Donald Mosley
(b. 1939)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "served others by offering hospitality to refugees, housing for the homeless and mediation to situations of war."
2006Not awarded
2007 Salim Ghazal
(1931–2011)
Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon for having "worked with Muslims and Christians to promote reconciliation, peace and hope for young people and others displaced by Lebanon's civil war."
2008 Marvin Mottet
(1930–2016)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "devoted his life to walking the two feet of social action: direct service and social justice."
2009 Hildegard Goss-Mayr
(b. 1930)
Flag of Austria.svg Austria "one of the world's leading experts on nonviolence, a teacher, visionary and pioneer who helped forge a new path toward peace on earth for all humanity."
2010 Father John Dear.jpg John Dear
(b. 1959)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "delivered the message of the nonviolent Jesus in word and deed in confronting nuclear arms manufacturing and use."
2011 Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini (6165910686) (cropped).jpg Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri
(b. 1947)
Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala "for his continuing efforts on behalf of Guatemala's most vulnerable communities, the indigenous people of Guatemala."
2012 Kim Bobo.jpg Kim Bobo
(b. 1954)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "educated a nation about the prevalence of wage theft and injustice that disproportionately affects the poor amongst us."
2013 Jean Vanier (2012, cropped).jpg Jean Vanier
(1928–2019)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada for having "founded L’Arche, an international, faith-based federation of communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together."
2014 Sister Simone Campbell of "Nuns On The Bus".jpg Simone Campbell, S.S.S.
(b. 1945)
Flag of the United States.svg United States for having "organized the "Nuns on the Bus" Campaign in 2012 that riveted the nation's attention. She is the driving force for programs and policies that support faith, families and fairness."
2015 Thich Nhat Hanh 12 (cropped).jpg Thích Nhất Hạnh [4]
(1926–2022)
Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam "honored for his lifelong commitment to peace and for his inspired, dedicated work to bridge Eastern and Western spiritual traditions."
2016 Gustavo gutierrez (Peruvian theologian).jpg Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P.
(b. 1928)
Flag of Peru.svg Peru "recognized as a prominent figure in Latin American Catholicism with his book A Theology on Liberation led many to view him as the founder of liberation theology."
2017 Dr Widad Akrawi UN BMS2010 DI.png Widad Akrawi
(b. 1969)
Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq for having "cofounded the human rights organization, Defend International."
2018Not awarded
2019 Dalai Lama in 2012 02.jpg Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
(b. 1935)
Flag of Tibet.svg Tibet for having "worked tirelessly for peace and justice and advocates for human dignity for all in Asia."
Munib Younan 2015.jpg Munib Younan
(b. 1950)
Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine for having "committed to cultivating peace by building bridges among religions."
2020Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022 20120515-OSEC-RBN-2077 (7205167124).jpg Norma Pimentel, M.J. [5]
(b. 1953)
Flag of the United States.svg United States "for her dedication to serving asylum seekers as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in the Brownsville Diocese in Texas."
2023Atiya Aftab and Sheryl Olitzky [6] Flag of the United States.svg United States for being "co-founders of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom."
2024Chad Pregracke [7] (b. 1975)Flag of the United States.svg United States for being the "founder and president of Living Lands & Waters, an environmental organization, he was the first recipient recognized for work on environmental justice and care for creation."
2025 Silvio Baez.jpg Silvio José Báez Ortega, OCD [8]
(b. 1958)
Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua for his "commitment as a shepherd of the poor and a courageous defender of human rights and democracy who had endured physical injury and threats to [his] life while pursuing mediation between government and pro-democracy forces in your beloved Nicaragua"

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Pacem in Terris Past Recipients". Diocese of Davenport. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. "Pacem in Terris". Diocese of Davenport. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  3. The Catholic Newspaper of the Diocese of Davenport
  4. "Thich Nhat Hanh named Pacem in Terris winner". The Catholic Messenger. Davenport, Iowa . Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  5. "Serving with compassion on the border: Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, will receive peace award". The Catholic Messenger. Davenport, Iowa. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  6. Barb Arland-Fye (September 21, 2023). "Pacem in Terris award ceremony recognizes women fostering peace". The Catholic Messenger. Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  7. Barb Arland-Fye (December 12, 2024). "River champion accepts Pacem Award with gratitude and a boatload of humor". The Catholic Messenger. Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  8. Barb Arland-Fye (July 17, 2025). "Exiled bishop accepts Pacem award for courageous Nicaraguans". The Catholic Messenger. Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved July 17, 2025.