The U.S. Catholic bishops' 1983 pastoral "The Challenge of Peace" has two purposes: to help form individual consciences and to offer moral guidance in a public policy debate. The author concludes that the bishops need to exercise greater oversight to ensure that their pastoral teachings are being properly communicated.
Author Biography: Matthew F. Murphy is a public information officer at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. The foreword is by John Cardinal O'Connor, an archbishop of New York, who helped to draft the Pastoral Letter on War and Peace.
