An Apologetical Explanation of

Just War

Is war ever justifiable?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  (Mt 5:9)

What causes ars, and what causes fightings among you?  Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?  You desire and do not have; so you kill.  And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  Unfaithful creatures!  (Jas 4:1-4)

War, although always devastating and deadly, can be justly waged under certain limited circumstances.  Specific moral principles must be taken into consideration in order to discern whether it is just to wage war in a given situation as well as how the fighting itself may be conducted.

The Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill” (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17), is unequivocal, and yet we can readily conceive of situations where legitimate defense of ourselves or of our loved ones might require lethal action.  The Church has always recognized the right to self-defense.  Questions about the morality of war are largely governed by the same principles that underlie the right to defend ourselves.  (Cf. CCC 2306-2308)

These principles establish several conditions under which defensive military force might be considered morally permissible; all of these conditions must be fulfilled in order for the action to meet moral standards:

  • the aggressor must be causing “lasting, grave, and certain” damage;
  • all peaceful solutions must already have been exhausted; the action must have a good change of succeeding in its objectives;
  • the damage and evil caused by the military response must not be greater than that which is caused by the aggressor; and
  • widespread destruction and the killing of civilians must be avoided.  (Cf. CCC 2309, 2314)

In addition, war can only be waged by the legitimate leaders of a nation or community of nations.  These public authorities may require their citizens to assist in some way with national defense, even while respecting the consciences of those who oppose war and refuse to participate.  Combatants have the right and duty to refuse orders that contradict the moral law, even if these orders come from their commanders.  In wartime, prisoners, civilians, and the wounded must be treated with human dignity.  (Cf. CCC 2310-2314)

Peace is not simply the absence of armed aggression, and so the buildup of arms and the mistrust it engenders puts nations at greater risk of war.  Nations should attempt to work out differences and reduce the accumulation of arms to make the world a safe place for everyone.  (Cf. CCC 2316-2317)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 1909 and 2327-2328.

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