What is ‘Just War’?

With everything going on at home and abroad lately — from the turmoil in Iraq to the volatile situation in Ferguson, MO — I think this would be an appropriate time to share a quick summary of the Catholic Church’s just war doctrine.

As Pope Francis recently said, it is perfectly legitimate to exercise force in defense against an unjust aggressor.  But the key word is defense.  Even such force must include respect for the inherent dignity of every human person.

So what about on the larger scale?  Can national and/or international force ever, in any circumstance, be used against another nation or group of nations?

The short answer is yes.  Here are the conditions that, according to Catholic understanding, characterize a truly just war:

– the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
– all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
– there must be serious prospects of success;
– the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. (T)he power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

(CCC 2309 – bold added)

A great many wars include one or more of these criteria.  However, in order to have a just war, all of them must be present at the same time.  If, for example, all of the other conditions are present, but the consequences of a war or battle are greater than the good to be achieved, then it is not a just war.

Obviously, the bar is pretty high here.  And these are just the criteria for war in general, to say nothing of what waging a just war requires.

What happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was a towering example of unjust warfare — in fact, the Catholic Church’s Magisterium came out against the use of the atomic bomb to end World War II (and unfortunately, most of the laity did not lend their support…not in the United States, anyway).

Let me just cite one more rule for just warfare.  Civilian targeting is never permitted — ever.  Let us assume, for example, that a high-ranking official of a terrorist group whose death would topple the entire organization is hiding within a populated municipality, and the only way to get to him is by way of an action that will take the lives of the innocent civilians surrounding his hideout.

Can’t do it.  Respect for innocent human life always takes pride of place.

Anyone who would like to learn more can visit the section of the Catechism on “Safeguarding Peace.”

On a brighter note, stay tuned for my commentary on the recent movie “Boyhood” 🙂

Images from Wikipedia