VATICAN CITY (CNS) — True faith contributes to peace in the world because it sees God as a model of love and forgiveness, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“To know God’s true nature is a real way to ensure peace. A God who is not seen as a source of forgiveness could never be a light on the path toward peace,” the Pope said Dec. 3 during a meeting with members of the International Theological Commission.

Commission members, who advise the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, discussed three topics at their five-day meeting: the principles, meaning and methods of theology; belief in one God and its implications for relations among Jews, Christians and Muslims; and ways to better integrate Catholic social teaching into Catholic teaching in general.

Pope Benedict said that, for Catholics, the three themes have a common root: God’s love for his creatures.

He said theology reflects a desire to know more about a loving God. True theology uses the essential tool of intelligence, combined with prayer and a sense of Church communion, he said.

The Pope said God’s love also dictates how to approach relations with others who believe in one God; Christians know they must love those whom God loves.

And on the question of Catholic teaching on social issues such as poverty, development and war, the Pope said God’s love is the motivating factor there as well.

“Contemplation of the revealed God and charity toward our neighbors cannot be separated,” he said.

He said Catholics need to do a better job of explaining how the Church’s social teaching is based on moral truths about the dignity of human life, about right and wrong and about eternal judgment.

The Pope said, “It is particularly important to demonstrate that the fruits die if the roots of the tree are cut. In fact, there is no justice without truth, and justice does not develop fully if its horizon is limited to the material world.”