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Eventual
Dialogue Seen Possible
They are sometimes men of great breadth of
mind, impatient with the mediocrity and self-seeking which infects so much of
modern society. They are quick to make use of sentiments and expressions found
in our Gospel, referring to the brotherhood of man, mutual aid, and human
compassion. Shall we not one day be able to lead them back to the Christian
sources of these moral values?
105. We would like to
recall what Our predecessor Pope John XXIII wrote in his Encyclical Pacem in
Terris. He drew attention to the fact that although the formulation of a
particular philosophy does not change once it has been worked out and
systematized, nevertheless the practical programme initiated by such a
philosophy is capable of receiving a gradual reorientation, and may in fact
undergo considerable changes. 64 We do not therefore give up hope of
the eventual possibility of a dialogue between these men and the Church, and a
more fruitful one than is possible at present, when we can only express our
justifiable complaints and repudiations.
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