By Dan Russo
Editorial
Pope Leo XIV is calling for a prayer vigil for peace April 11 in St. Peter’s Basilica. While addressing crowds during his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world), he was adamant.
“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” he said. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue!” The pontiff emphasized that Jesus confronted violence with nonviolence. “Christ, our ‘victorious King,’ fought and won his battle through trusting abandonment to the Father’s will, to his plan of salvation,” he said.
The pope, as an Augustinian, is familiar with Just War Theory. This Christian ethical framework for war was articulated most famously by St. Augustine and built on by other theologians and philosophers over centuries. The ongoing debate about whether our country’s involvement in recent armed conflicts, including the war in Iran, fits the requirements of “Just War” has been heating up.
On “Face the Nation” Easter Sunday, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services responded to a question from CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe about whether he thought the U.S. and Israel’s initiation of the war was justified.
“I would think … under the Just War Theory, it is not because while there is a- there was a threat with nuclear arms, it’s a- it’s compensating for a threat before … the threat is actually- is actually realized,” said the archbishop. “… I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation. I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate?”
Self and national defense are acceptable, according to the Church: “Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2264-225)
However, Jesus teaches us to seek peace whenever possible. Dr. Jeffrey P. Bishop, a professor of philosophy and theological studies at St. Louis University, weighed in on how to apply these principals in an interview with OSV News. “First and foremost, there is no doubt that the earliest Christians tended toward pacifism,” said Bishop. “There are even some Christians today, including Catholic Christians, who stand in that tradition of pacifism. So, even if you are not yourself a pacifist, it seems to me that one has to take this tradition seriously in Christianity as one thinks about war. Why? Because peace is an end; war is never an end. At best, war can only ever be a means to the end of peace. So, for Christians, the default position is pacifism; and for all Christians, the end of any political community is peace. So even for just war theorists, peace is the goal.”
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, recently called for a ceasefire in Iran. If that doesn’t happen, the War Powers Act of 1973 requires terminating the use of force (by the U.S. military) within 60 days unless congress declares war or allows an extension. If the conflict goes on until the end of April, the ball will be in congress’s court. Our representatives have a duty to vote on this.
The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose beatification is set for Sept. 24, spoke about war on his TV show “Life is Worth Living.”
“There are actually two causes of war, the external and the internal,” he said. “The external causes of war, according to William Penn, are three: to keep, to add and to recover. Of the internal causes of war, St. James gives us the best explanation. ‘What leads to war, what leads to quarreling among you? … The appetites which infest your mortal bodies.’ War comes from egotism and selfishness. Every macrocosmic or world war has its origin in microcosmic wars going on inside of millions of individuals.”
There may be little most of us can do physically to address the external causes of the Iran war (aside from perhaps lobby legislators). We all have much more control over our internal battlefields. Start your spiritual offensive by deciding to pray for peace today, then keep going. Love the best you can. Archbishop Sheen told his audience of millions, “Fire burns so let us not stick our hands in it; Godlessness causes war, therefore let us be Godly.”
Dan Russo, editor
