Dear Editor,
I was disgusted by Donald Trump’s sad and trivial attack on Leo XIV. The attack even took on ridiculous tones when J.D. Vance demanded to give lessons in moral theology to the Pontiff. However, there is a problem. For Catholic pacifism, war is the “absolute evil”. The trouble is that this absolute evil does not seem removable from human history. And the Church, unlike many of its faithful, is fully aware of this. In fact, in the Pastoral Constitution “Gaudium et Spes” of the Second Vatican Council, promulgated by Paul VI on December 7, 1965, one can read:
“War is unfortunately not eradicated from the human condition. And as long as the danger of war exists and there is no competent international authority, equipped with effective forces, once all possibilities of peaceful settlement have been exhausted, the right of governments to legitimate defense cannot be denied. Heads of state and those who share responsibility for public affairs therefore have the duty to safeguard the salvation of the peoples entrusted to them, dealing with matters of such great importance with a serious sense of responsibility. But one thing is to use arms to defend the just rights of peoples, and another to want to impose one’s dominion over other nations. […] Those who serve their country in the ranks of the army should also consider themselves as servants of the security and freedom of their peoples; if they rightly fulfill their duty, they truly contribute to the stability of peace”.
Now, the doctrine of “bellum iustum” has its roots in the thought of Saint Augustine (354-430): “[…] Peace must be in the will and war only a necessity, so that God may free us from necessity and keep us in peace! Indeed, peace is not sought to provoke war, but war is waged to obtain peace! Even when waging war, therefore, be inspired by peace so that, by winning, you may lead those you defeat to the good of peace” (“Epistle to General Boniface” no.189, Point 6).
And again:
“How can one call a war made against harmless peoples, out of desire to harm, thirst for power, to enlarge an empire, to obtain riches and acquire glory, anything but large-scale brigandage? […] For the wicked, waging war is a fortune; for the good, however, war is a necessity. […] The Romans were able to conquer such a great empire by fighting just wars, not impious, not unjust.” (“De civitate Dei”, Book IV, chap.6).
Saint Thomas (1225-1274) takes up and develops this theory in the “Summa Theologiae”. To the question whether waging war is always a sin (“utrum bellare sit semper peccatum”), he answers that war is always just if it repairs an injustice (“Quaestio” no.40).
Finally: “Vim vi repellere licet” (It is lawful to repel violence with violence), is a principle already present in Justinian’s Digest (533). It is accepted by every legal system and every moral doctrine. With even an extensive interpretation, it has been included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, desired in 1992 by John Paul II as an expression of conciliar magisterium.
“Opus iustitiae, pax” (Isaiah 32:17) was his episcopal motto. And, since peace can only be born from justice, Pope Wojtyla would come to say that “there are cases in which armed struggle is an inevitable evil from which, in tragic circumstances, even Christians cannot exempt themselves” (Homily at the Heldenplatz in Vienna, September 10, 1983).
Thank you for your attention.
