The “Peace of Order” — A Naturalistic Reduction of Catholic Truth
NC Register portal (May 27, 2026) publishes a commentary by George Weigel, “The Peace We Can Make,” in which the author reprises arguments from 24 years ago about the nature of peace. Weigel invokes the authority of the antipope John Paul II, the Second Vatican Council, and St. Augustine to argue that the Catholic concept of peace is fundamentally “the peace of order” — a political and legal arrangement built through human institutions, diplomacy, and law. He contrasts this with the supernatural peace of the Kingdom of God and the interior peace of a right relationship with God, effectively subordinating the latter to the former as the primary business of the Church in the world. The entire framework omits the supernatural mission of the Church, the necessity of the social reign of Christ the King, and the reality that true peace is impossible without the conversion of nations to the Catholic Faith.
