6-Point Catholic Checklist When War Is on the News

I accept these teachings of the Church, but they are hard to apply in cases where I have strong feelings, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

From Aleteia

By Fr Dave Mercer

Principles have guided Catholics for centuries when it comes to war. Why not print them out and keep them near the places you watch or read the news?

When news of war fills our feeds and TV reports, many people feel at a loss trying to make sense of the maps, so-called expert commentary, and constant updates. If your teenage son or daughter is watching or reading with you, they likely wonder what the adults are doing with the world, and how it will affect their futures.

Fortunately, the Catholic teaching tradition offers long-held moral guidance that young people and adults can think through. It provides principles to consider if a war is "just," and this body of teaching is summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In these days, as news of Iran and the Gulf countries continues to unfold, why not keep a simple list of just war principles on your coffee table?

You can compare them to what is being said by the news reports or commentators. The principles for a just war can greatly assist family conversations about the news, as well as your own thoughtful reflection.

Origins of just war teachings

Early Christians took Jesus’ call to peace seriously. But when societies faced invasion, Christian thinkers wrestled with how governments might better protect innocent lives. In the 5th century, Saint Augustine helped articulate biblically based moral principles for when the use of force would be justified. Christian leaders continued to develop such reflections into what became known as just war teaching. 

The Catechism first grounds this teaching in the Bible’s strong call to peace. For example, “You shall not murder” speaks to the sacred nature of human life. Jesus deepens this call, saying, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” as well as “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Also, the Scriptures present Jesus as the true “Prince of Peace.”

With that grounding in the biblical witness, the Catechism calls war an "ancient bondage" and urges avoiding it.

Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war.

The principles that guide Catholic reflection on war

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lays out the relevant principles (sections 2302-2317). Now with 16 centuries of thoughtful and prayerful application of the Apostolic Faith to one of the most challenging issues in history, these principles offer important guidance when discussing the use of force to achieve certain results -- even in the 21st century.

Young people thinking about world issues can appreciate the Church’s thoughtful reflection on war and peace.

Four clear principles are named in one paragraph (2309) and before naming them the Church says they are "strict conditions" that require "rigorous consideration." It reminds that the decision to use military force for legitimate defense is a grave decision.

The principles, it says, must apply "at one and the same time," i.e. not just a few of the principles can be met for the war to be considered "just."

It also notes how modern means of war affect the way the principles can be applied.

Extracting from the points made in the whole section, we provide the following six principles that can serve as a checklist for printing, with a brief explanation of each.

A checklist

The cause is just (defense against grave injustice).

This principle limits force to protecting innocent people, as when the aggressor’s damage would be “lasting, grave, and certain.” Military force cannot be for the sake of revenge, conquest, financial gain, or national prestige.

Declared by legitimate authority.

Decisions regarding war are not the responsibility of private individuals or groups, but that of legitimate public authorities exercising “prudential judgment” in the service of the common good.

All peaceful options have failed.

Understood as “all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective.” This means that all efforts at negotiation, diplomacy, sanctions, and international mediation have clearly been tried, and failed.

The good expected outweighs the damage.

This is referred to as “proportionality” and applies both to whether war should begin and how weapons are used. “The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.” As mentioned above, the destructive power of modern weapons makes this principle especially serious.

Probability of success.

This principle is easily forgotten but speaks to the understanding that futile wars that only cause suffering cannot be justified. The Catechism insists on the condition that “there must be serious prospects for success.”

When deciding how to fight the war

Non-combatants are protected.

Civilians must never be deliberately targeted. The Catechism insists that “non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.” It also prohibits “the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority,” condemning it as a mortal sin.

The Catechism also reminds soldiers that moral responsibility remains personal. Even when ordered by superiors, a soldier cannot justify an evil act by saying he or she was “only following orders.”

God chooses the way of peace

Early in the Bible, after the great flood, God hangs his warrior’s bow in the clouds as a sign of his covenant with humanity. Throughout the rest of the Bible, God calls people to a covenant life based on peace with God and with other people.

When we watch the news of events in Iran and wrestle with the call to be people of peace, we can find guidance in the principles that place peace first in Catholic just war teaching. We can have that simple list of those principles close by — perhaps even on the coffee table — while watching the unfolding story of war. More importantly, those principles can be imprinted on our hearts as we seek the peace God desires.