Death Knell for Just War
The Vatican’s Historic Turn toward Nonviolence
John Dear
For its first three centuries, Christianity required the practice of active non­violence as
taught by Jesus. Early Christians refused to serve in Rome’s armies or kill in its wars. All that
changed in the year 313, when Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, and established it
as the official religion of the empire. In effect, he threw out the commandment to love one’s
enemies and turned to the pagan Cicero to justify Christian violence, sowing the seeds for the
so-called just war theory.
During the seventeen centuries since, Christians have waged war, led crusades, burned wom­
en at the stake, persecuted Jews and Muslims, kept slaves, run concentration camps, prayed
St Mary’s
Parish
Haddington
Road
for successful bombing raids, and built and used nuclear weapons. Jesus’ teachings of nonvio­
lence have rarely been discussed, much less implemented. Even as recent popes have pro­
claimed a “Gospel of Life,” they’ve made exceptions, leaving loopholes for justified killing.
That may be about to change. In April, eighty prominent Catholic peacemakers from twentyfive nations were invited to the Vatican for a conference to discuss formally abandoning the
just war theory. The event was hosted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Cardinal
Peter Turkson, the leader behind Pope Francis’s recent encyclical on the environment,
Serving
the
Community
Serving
the
City
opened the conference by reading a long letter of welcome from Pope Francis. Cardinal Turk­
son participated in the conference and approved the closing statement, which was then pre­
sented to the pope.
For three days, we deliberated about questions of violence, war, and nonviolence. Many
attendees shared personal experiences practicing nonviolence, often in warzones. I was asked
to speak about Jesus and nonviolence. That’s easy, I said: Jesus did not teach us how to kill or
wage war or make money; he taught us how to be nonviolent. In the Sermon on the Mount
he says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, they are the sons and daughters of God. ... You have
heard it said, thou shall not kill; I say to you, do not even get angry. ... You have heard it said,
an eye for an eye; but I say to you,
“The death of a single human is too
offer no violent resistance to one
heavy a price to pay for the vindication of
who does evil. ... Love your ene­
any principle, however sacred.” Daniel
Berrigan
mies.” Nowhere does he say:
“ ...but if your enemies are really
bad, and you meet these seven conditions, kill them.” There is no just war theory, there are
no exceptions.
During the closing hours we debated, approved, and released a statement calling on Pope
Francis to write an encyclical that would formally reject the just war theory once and for all
and return the Church to the nonviolence of Jesus. The statement offers four points: that Je­
sus was nonviolent; that there is no just war; that nonviolence works; and that the time has
come for the Church to apply and teach nonviolence at every level around the world.
If it heeds this call, the Catholic Church could change course from the last seventeen hundred
Contacts:Fr Fachtna McCarthy, Administrator, Fr Patrick Claffey svd C.C., Fr Michael Collins C.C.. Tel 01-6600075
Website www.stmaryshaddingtonroad.ie email: [email protected]
Child Protection: http://www.stmaryshaddingtonroad.ie/ministries/child-protection/ also www.csps.dublindiocese.ie
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years, opening up a whole new history for Christiani­ Sunday 20 November, Ecumenical ‘Walk of Light’, be­
ty and returning us to the spirit of the early church, gins at Clarendon St, 4pm
where no Christian was allowed to participate in Saturday 26 November, 8pm: Dublin Symphoney Or­
chestra, Conductor Brendan Breslin
war, prepare for war, or kill another human being. If
Pope Francis writes such an encyclical, it could have First Sunday of Advent : November 27, 2016
an impact far beyond the world’s one billion Catho­ Advent Saturdays: Night Vigil 3,10,17 December , 78pm
lics. He could help us all better understand how war
Sunday 4 December: Penitential and Reconciliation
has become obsolete, how nonviolence offers far
Service after 11mass
better prospects for conflict resolution, and why the
Sunday 11December: St Vincent de Paul Collection
time has come to abolish war and nuclear weapons.
NB. Notice for publication should be in by Thursday
Read the full statement at nonviolencejustpeace.net.
morning, please.
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Share your own experience. The evening has three
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minutes sharing
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Catherine Macaulay Centre, Herbert St,
Please contact the director or any member of the choir if
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the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in
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In Memoriam
11am... Eduard Toussaint Adjovi
5pm... Colette Connor (Anniversary)
Masses on 29th/30th Oct 2016.
6pm... Ann Kelly (Anniversary)
9.30am.. Jonathan Hulgrane
11am... Brian O’Connor (Anniversary)
Sunday 6 November, Special Mass for the Deceased
Friday 11 November: Concert: ‘Remembering the
Brave’
Ite O’ Donovan and the Lassus Adult Choir
Saturday 12 November, 10am Remembrance Day
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Thursday 17 November: Patrick Finn Lecture by Dr
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Patrick, Patrick Claffey (Text), Tomasz Bereska. To­
masz Szustek (Photographs) will follow the lecture
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Contacts:Fr Fachtna McCarthy, Administrator, Fr Patrick Claffey svd C.C., Fr Michael Collins C.C.. Tel 01-6600075
Website www.stmaryshaddingtonroad.ie email: [email protected]
Child Protection: http://www.stmaryshaddingtonroad.ie/ministries/child-protection/ also www.csps.dublindiocese.ie
Funded by Living the Joy of the Gospel campaign