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NO WINNERS IN WAR
In March of 2022, Pope Francis lobbed a verbal explosive at the idea of warfare: “There is no such thing as a just war: they do not exist!” He further declared, “War is always—always!— the defeat of humanity, always.” So ended the long career of just war theory.
Pacifists hailed this as a victory for humanity. Hawks vilified the Pope for scrapping the honored accomplishments of soldiers throughout centuries. Yet the Pope said nothing regarding the duty or integrity of military personnel, past or present. His remarks were aimed at the fundamental principle that violence can ever be a solution to violence.
Modern warfare is never just. It may have its own moral logic, but it's neither waged fairly or proportionately. While earlier wars had their distinct rationales, they also had very limited means of disabling the perceived enemy. Today's wars could easily and suddenly incinerate a city or a civilization. No one fights with bows and arrows anymore.
Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh tells the story of when his Vietnamese monastery was robbed of their last sack of rice by a French soldier. He and the soldier were strangers to each other, "but when we met we were already enemies." He notes this is the nature of war: "people who have never met kill each other out of fear." Thich Nhat Hanh likewise rejected just war in the same vein as "just slavery," "just hatred," or "just racism." A bad can never be good. When war is waged, humanity loses.
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
More from Alice Camille in "Questions Catholics Ask":
What do Catholics believe about war and peace?
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