Pope John XXIII Peace Prize

Roman Catholicism

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July 1, 2026

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The Pope John XXIII Peace Prize was awarded by Pope Paul VI on January 6, 1971, to Mother Teresa. This award aimed to highlight how an individual, even without significant resources, can contribute to world peace through daily actions demonstrating brotherhood.1

Pope Paul VI, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978, was deeply concerned with social issues and world peace. He issued encyclicals like Populorum progressio advocating for social justice and undertook extensive international travel to engage with global challenges.1

Pope John XXIII, Paul VI's predecessor, is renowned for convening the Second Vatican Council, which modernized the church and fostered interfaith dialogue, including issuing Nostra aetate and the social encyclical Pacem in terris.23

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St. Paul VI
Social and ecumenical interests
…Vatican, Paul VI conferred the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize on the Albanian-born Mother Teresa, who had spent most of her life in India, where she had founded a special religious congregation of women dedicated to the alleviation of the countless ills of the poorest classes in the country. Paul…
Read More
…Vatican, Paul VI conferred the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize on the Albanian-born Mother Teresa, who had spent most of her life in India, where she had founded a special religious congregation of women dedicated to the alleviation of the countless ills of the poorest classes in the country. Paul…
Read More