Social Doctrine Session 9
(CSDC 488-520)
Chapter eleven of the Compendium deals with “The Promotion of Peace.” Peace is in the first place a basic attribute of God (Judges 6:24).
Creation, which is a reflection of the divine glory, aspires to peace. God created all that exists, and all of creation forms a harmonious whole that is good in its every part (cf. Gen 1:4, 10, 18, 21, 25, 31). Peace is founded on the primary relationship that exists between every human being and God himself, a relationship marked by righteousness (cf. Gen 17:1) (CSDC 488).
Violence first entered the world as a result of the Fall effecting all personal and social relationships. Yet peace, in biblical revelation, is much more than the simple absence of war—it is a gift from God which requires obedience to the divine plan. Peace is the goal of life in society. The messianic vision of the "Prince of peace" (Is 9:5) will restore all of creation to its original harmony. “The promise of peace that runs through the entire Old Testament finds its fulfillment in the very person of Jesus” (CSDC 491) In the first place the peace of Christ is reconciliation with the Father, and then with one’s brothers and sisters. The work of peace “. . . can never be separated from announcing the Gospel, which is in fact the "good news of peace" (Acts 10:36; cf. Eph 6:15) addressed to all men and women” (CSDC 493). Peace is the fruit of justice and love. Founded on a rational and moral order of society that has its roots in God himself, peace is a value and a universal duty. Peace requires the establishment of an order based on justice and charity and is founded on a correct understanding of the human person. Peace can flourish only when all recognize that everyone is responsible for promoting it. It is built up day after day in the pursuit of an order willed by God. (CSDC 495). Violence is never a proper response since it is evil and unworthy of man.
War is condemned by the Magisterium as savagery, and never an appropriate way to resolve problems. There is an urgent need today for seeking alternate solutions to war for solving international conflicts. International organizations are needed to provide for the defense of states who cannot effectively defend themselves. “A war of aggression is intrinsically immoral . . . leaders of the State that has been attacked have the right and the duty to organize a defense even using force of arms” (CSDC 500).
To be licit, the use of force must correspond to certain strict conditions: "the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain; all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; there must be serious prospects of success; the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated (CSDC 500).
The Charter of the United Nations includes the right to self-defense respecting "the traditional limits of necessity and proportionality. The generalized prohibition of recourse to force to resolve disputes between States in the UN charter has two exceptions: “legitimate defense and measures taken by the Security Council within the area of its responsibilities for maintaining peace.” The compendium warns, however, that “. . . engaging in a preventive war without clear proof that an attack is imminent cannot fail to raise serious moral and juridical questions” (CSDC 502). The existence in States of armed forces, are justified by requirements of legitimate defense and such activity should be at the service of peace. “Every member of the armed forces is morally obliged to resist orders that call for perpetrating crimes against the law of nations and the universal principles of this law” (CSDC 503). “The right to use force for purposes of legitimate defense is associated with the duty to protect and help innocent victims who are not able to defend themselves from acts of aggression” (CSDC 504). The obligation to protect civil populations from the effects of war in based on the principle of humanity inscribed in the conscience of every person and all peoples. (CSDC 505) “Attempts to eliminate entire national, ethnic, religious or linguistic groups are crimes against God and humanity itself, and those responsible for such crimes must answer for them before justice” (CSDC 506). The use of sanctions to correct the behavior of the government of a country that violates the rules of peaceful and ordered international coexistence should have the objective of opening the way to negotiation and dialogue. “Economic sanctions in particular are an instrument to be used with great discernment and must be subjected to strict legal and ethical criteria” (CSDC 507) An economic embargo cannot be justified when the resulting effects are indiscriminate and must be of limited duration. On the subject of disarmament the social teaching of the church proposes “. . . the principle of sufficiency, by virtue of which each State may possess only the means necessary for its legitimate defense” (CSDC 508) The goal of a general, balance and controlled disarmament implies that “excessive stockpiling or indiscriminate trading in arms cannot be morally justified” (CSDC 508). The possession of weapons of mass destruction implies an enormous responsibility and the goal of disarmament should include “. . . the banning or weapons that inflict excessively traumatic injury or that strike indiscriminately” such as anti-personnel land mines (CSDC 510). “Appropriate measures are needed to control the production, sale, importation and exportation of small arms and light weapons, armaments that facilitate many outbreaks of violence to occur” (CSDC 511). The use of children and adolescents as soldiers is condemned. In the most absolute terms terrorism must be condemned. “It shows complete contempt for human life and can never be justified, since the human person is always an end and never a means” (CSDC 514). It is an integral part of the Church's mission of continuing Christ's work of redemption on earth to promote peace in the world. “The Church teaches that true peace is made possible only through forgiveness and reconciliation” (CSDC 517).
© Office of Human Rights, and Bishop Helmsing Institute, Diocese of Kansas City~St. Joseph, 2009
