The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective (Moral Traditions series)
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The person is not only sacred but also social.
How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined.
Debate rages within the Catholic Church about the ethics of war and peace, but the simple question of why wars begin is too often neglected. Catholics'. The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective integrated in the theological and moral response to questions of war and peace. is closer to a Catholic worldview and is consistent with the Christian tradition of war and peace.
We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society , seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment Mt The economy must serve people , not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in Gods creation.
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If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative. We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.
We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace.
Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict. We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation.
Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. This summary should only be a starting point for those interested in Catholic social teaching. A full understanding can only be achieved by reading the papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents that make up this rich tradition.
Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching
More recently, scholars have added a third strand concerning the resolution of conflict and the moral and practical responsibilities various parties have during the transition from war to peace called jus post bellum. Those who have responsibility for the common good must evaluate their decisions based on these criteria, after which they have the right to impose on citizens obligations that are needed for the defence of the nation.
Still, the State is to make fair provision for people, who for reason of conscience, refuse to bear arms. Other ways for them to serve the community must be found. This part of the Theory outlines the morally acceptable ways in which war can waged. It relies on the belief that just because war has broken out it does not mean all moral principles and the utmost respect for life can be disregarded.
It is universally agreed that civilians should not be intentionally targeted and all efforts to protect the life of non-combatants must be made.
Catholic moral theology
Beyond protecting civilian life the means by which a war can be waged are also circumscribed by one important principle:. Theologians and scholars working in this area seek to return to Christian traditions of restoring peace after conflict and to, in effect, bring Just War Theory full circle by having us return to issues of active peacemaking and working for a just peace.
- LESSONS From The OCEAN.
- Anastasia and the Imperial Egg Hunt (Anastasia Series II).
- What is Peace?.
- The Accidental Ambassador.
Some of the issues might include discerning who decides and then builds or rebuilds a certain type of political system, should it replicate what was there pre-conflict or be something different? What will restorative justice look like? Should there be punishment, of whom, by whom?
Are there power imbalances between countries that make local decision making impossible or marginalised? These kinds of issue have, for example, been key to certain periods of operations in Afghanistan and in countless humanitarian or peacekeeping operations, such as in East Timor. These scholars argue that though Just War Theory places a high value on peace and sees war only as a last resort, in the face of the ever increasing power of modern weapons, and also examples of the effectiveness of non-violence in response to unjust aggression, they argue that non-violence is the better, more ethical option.
They argue the Just War Theory weakens the Christian moral imperative to develop methods for nonviolent conflict because it always leaves us recourse to violence, however restricted that recourse may be. They have asked Pope Francis to consider making this issue the topic of his next Encyclical. The Church has yet to comment on this possibility or make any changes to the Just War Theory as official teaching, yet Pope Francis made clear his commitment to peace and non-violence in his World Day of Peace Message. Alongside the sources embedded in the text the following have been useful in the preparation of this essay.
UN Sustainable Development Goals. Pillars of Peace, Institute for Economics and Peace Just War Tradition The Church is emphatically for peace in all places and for all people, and has time and again advocated vocally for the prevention or cessation of war and supports the long tradition of pacifism in the Church.