A new book authored by associate professor Dr. Kiril Kartaloff published by the prestigious international publishing house Edizioni Studium
On April 11, 1963, St. John XXIII, Angelo Roncalli or the “Bulgarian Pope” – as he is known in our country because of the deep connections he established on Bulgarian soil during his diplomatic mission from 1925 to 1934 – signed one of the fundamental texts of the modern age dedicated to peace: the encyclical Pacem in Terris. It does so at a tense historical moment, at a time of deep, severe international crisis. For its author, who is among the brightest and most positive personalities of the 20th century, the concept of “peace” means universal progress of each individual, each nation separately. Peace is not simply the absence of war. It is not a balanced territory between warring countries, between opposing military arsenals. In its essence, peace is a collective, communal phenomenon – a phenomenon with a positive sign that involves individual individuals or entire nations, the human race in general.
Sixty years later, although the world has changed considerably since then, the encyclical Pacem in Terris is still extremely relevant and is considered a “patrimony of humanity”. The book THE QUEST FOR PEACE. Celebrating Pacem in Terris and its legacy, sixty years later was born from the international scientific conference that took place on June 26, 2023 in the historical hall “Prof. Marin Drinov” of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), which aimed to be a moment to reflect on the historical impact of Pacem in Terris, to confirm its relevance and to mobilize – through scientific diplomacy – efforts to promote peace, justice and rights of man in the modern world. The book contains reports of prominent lecturers from Bulgaria and abroad, including from the Institute and from other BAS institutes, in the fields of diplomacy, theology, philosophy, history, political and legal science, economics, ecology, visual arts, top management .
