Pope John XXIII in Pacem in Terris quoted, with approval, a famous saying of St. Augustine: "What are kingdoms without justice but large bands of robbers?" The problem of violence today must be traced to its root: not the small-time murders but the massively organized bands of murderers whose operations are global.
— Thomas Merton, Thomas Merton: Essential Writings by Thomas Merton, Christine M. Bochen, editor