Q: Is war ever morally acceptable according to the Catholic Church?
A: Because all war involves evil and injustice, all people and nations must work for peace and the avoidance of war. However, as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed. The conditions for the morally lawful use of military force for self-defense are strict and must be considered and met by those charged to preserve the common good before a nation can engage in a just war. These conditions are as follows: 1) the damage inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave and certain; 2) all reasonable alternatives to ending the damage must be exhausted; 3) the defender must have considerable prospects of success; and 4) the means used by the defender must not cause greater evils than the evil caused by the aggressor. Further, non-combatants, prisoners and the wounded must be treated with respect and dignity. Though it is very rarely the case, sometimes war is not a morally unlawful course of action.
A: Because all war involves evil and injustice, all people and nations must work for peace and the avoidance of war. However, as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed. The conditions for the morally lawful use of military force for self-defense are strict and must be considered and met by those charged to preserve the common good before a nation can engage in a just war. These conditions are as follows: 1) the damage inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave and certain; 2) all reasonable alternatives to ending the damage must be exhausted; 3) the defender must have considerable prospects of success; and 4) the means used by the defender must not cause greater evils than the evil caused by the aggressor. Further, non-combatants, prisoners and the wounded must be treated with respect and dignity. Though it is very rarely the case, sometimes war is not a morally unlawful course of action.
