From Commonweal's April 26, 1963, editorial:

If the past is any guide in these matters, the Catholic response to Pope John's magnificent encyclical Pacem in Terris will be slow and tentative. This is not to say that there will not be initial praise and publicity; that much at least is traditional. Already that praise has been heard. But the difference between initial praise and a full-blown change in Catholic thought at all levels is another matter; too frequently it has taken years or decades for the full force of an encyclical to be felt. In part, the reason for such lags bear on the slowness of Catholics to change their customary ways of thinking on fundamental issues; then, too, the very language of encyclicals and their deference to the past often obscures those elements with a radical import.We fervently hope this will not be the fate of Pacem in Terris.

Alas.Read the whole thing here (.pdf). And don't miss the "Addition to the Staff" announcement on the second page.

Grant Gallicho joined Commonweal as an intern and was an associate editor for the magazine until 2015. 

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