Jesuit peace activist to get Pacem in Terris award in US

(May 26,2010) A Jesuit priest who has been jailed for his efforts to end war and nuclear weapons proliferation, will receive the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award Oct. 31 in Davenport, United States. Jesuit Fr. Dear, who lives in New Mexico, said he is honoured and humbled to be chosen for the award given annually. "It's one of the greatest awards in the U.S. Catholic Church. I've known about it since I was 21," the 50-year-old Father Dear told the Davenport diocesan newspaper. It's a great honour but it is also an encouragement to keep working for peace," he added.
The priest, a prolific writer and speaker, attempted to "beat swords into plowshares" by hammering on an F-15 nuclear fighter bomber at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He was arrested Dec. 7, 1993, for his actions and, along with peace activist Phillip Berrigan, spent eight months in North Carolina county jails. Father Dear says he's been arrested more than 75 times for actions stemming from his peace activism. He doesn't expect everyone to follow his lead. "What we did was a very nonviolent, silent act," he said. "I uphold and obey just laws. But I don't obey unjust laws. I'm doing my part in God's disarmament of the planet."
The Pacem in Terris award is named in honour of Pope John XXIII's encyclical, "Pacem in Terris." The Jesuit priest said “ That encyclical raised an important question and challenge. Are we going to destroy the planet or get together, disarm and create a new world of peace?"
Among previous “Pacem in Terris” award recipients include Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and Sister Helen Prejean.