The war between Israel and the United States of America with Iran has raised concerns regarding the legitimate use of military force. The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war. All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. However, “as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed.” (Gaudium et Spes).
The Catholic Church has addressed the legitimate use of war beginning with St Augustine in the 4th Century AD. The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. These conditions are called the Just War Doctrine and include the following: The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: 1) the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; 2) all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; 3) there must be serious prospects of success; and 4) the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. Importantly, the power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating these conditions. CCC 2307
The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good. War cannot be used as a means for one country to acquire the territory or assets of another. It cannot be used to overthrow governments unless all four of the Just War Doctrine conditions have been met. In addition, the common good requires that we work for peace in our world. For as Jesus said on the very night of His Resurrection, “Peace be with you”.
“Before being God’s gift to man and a human project in conformity with the divine plan, peace is in the first place a basic attribute of God: The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:24). The Magisterium of the Church “condemns the savagery of war and asks that war be considered in a new way” (Gaudium et Spes). According to Pope John Paul II, “war is a scourge and is never an appropriate way to resolve problems that arise between nations; it has never been and never will be”.
These are the teachings by the Catholic Church regarding Just War. We should work for peace between all nations and peoples.
Deacon Neal Kay
