MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF
PEACE 1 JANUARY 1989 TO BUILD PEACE, 1. "From the19th century a
certain political trend has spread and taken hold in all parts
of the world according to which people of the same extraction
wish to be independent and to set themselves up as a nation
apart. But since, for various reasons, this cannot always be
achieved, it follows that ethnic minorities are often included
within the national borders of a different ethnic group, and
this leads to quite complex problems" (Encyclical Pacem in
Terris, III). With these words, twenty-five years ago, my
venerable predecessor Pope John XXIII pointed to one of the most
delicate questions affecting contemporary society, a question
which, with the passing of time, has become even more pressing
since it is related to the organization of social and civil life
within each country, as well as to the life of the international
community. It is for this reason that, in choosing a specific
theme for the World Day of