Woodstock Report | War: A Continuting Education

Dolores Leckey recalls that during the debate leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it became clear that the just-war theory was "fraught with complexities." It became clear, at least, to the Jesuit provincials of the United States.

"The provincials thought it would be helpful to explore the different Catholic perspectives on issues of war and peace. They thought that a wider circle might also benefit from a conversation that sought to clarify and understand the different perspectives from the Catholic Christian tradition," Leckey, a Woodstock senior fellow, writes in the introduction to a book scheduled for release in April by Orbis Books.

These thoughts led to a day-long symposium in Washington, which in turn led to the new book, Just War, Lasting Peace, a fruit of collaboration between Woodstock and the U.S. Jesuit Conference.

The main theme is that Catholic views on war and peace "fall along a continuum, where total pacifism forms one end of the continuum and a belief in the acceptability of war under certain conditions forms the other," according to the un-proofed galleys of the book, authored by the Jesuit Conference's John Kleiderer, freelance writer Paula Minaert, and Mark Mossa, S.J., with Leckey serving as general editor. "This whole range of positions is acceptable within the Church."

However, the book explains that the official teaching authority of the Catholic Church holds only one position, described as the "contemporary just war position." The other two traditions or schools of thought are that of strict nonviolence, or pacifism, and what is termed the "classical" just-war position, which takes a less restrictive view of the use of deadly force than does the "contemporary" perspective.

Proponents of each position are given an opportunity to speak for themselves in the book, which draws on presentations by ethicists, policy makers, and others, at the November 2003 symposium.

"Today, the Church's position is a composite of nonviolence, but with provision for just war when repeated attempts at nonviolence fail," explains Drew Christiansen, S.J., a former Woodstock senior fellow and longtime adviser to the U.S. bishops on international questions. "The coherence of this position . resides in the notion of resistance to evil. That is, all people - not just Christians, but all people - must resist, not just avoid but resist, large-scale evil, nonviolently if possible, by legitimate and limited means, if necessary."

Dolores Leckey

Christiansen, who is now editor of America magazine, adds: "Accordingly, the context of the just war in Catholic social teaching has changed. The just war has to be read in the context of an official theology of peace with a strong critique of war as a public policy."

Leckey points out that the "basic teachings about war and peace transcend any single spiritual pathway," and so, in addition to Catholic and various Protestant perspectives, the book also includes reflections from the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism and Islam).

The book is designed for use in a variety of settings including college classes, parish adult education, retreats, advanced high-school courses, as well as for individual reflection. To facilitate further conversation, there are related discussions such as the future of official Catholic peacemaking and the role of forgiveness in international politics, as well as accounts of experts grappling with public policy implications. There is also a far-ranging assortment of resources, such as books and film documentaries, listed at the end of the book.

"What can Christian traditions teach us about defining a just war and constructing a lasting peace? A great deal, but we must be willing to struggle with the complexities and subtleties and to continue learning," Leckey writes in the introduction.

She adds:

"We pray that Just War, Lasting Peace will help communities everywhere faithfully continue their learning, attentively and intelligently, and to stay with the struggle. Therein lies our hope. What we offer is not a final word, but an invitation to dialogue."

A Very Real Hope

Just War, Lasting Peace begins with a sketch of the history of warfare, followed by a reflection upon faith, excerpted here.

Like it or not, we are forced to recognize that in the history of the world, there was almost never a time when war was not an immediate reality for some peoples. As Christians, what should be our attitude toward this historical reality, as well as toward the continued existence of war? Most people, no matter what their faith, agree that war is not desirable, that the world would be a better place without it, and that what we all want most of all is peace. But when faced with the practical reality of war's continuing existence, many conclude that war is an inevitable result of our human nature. Even some Christians believe that our sinfulness and our free will inevitably lead to conflict with others. Why not be realistic, they suggest, accept war as necessary, and forget about hopeless dreams of peace? Often this seems to be the reasonable attitude.

But this sort of hopeless fatalism is not our Christian tradition. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." In saying this, he wasn't just expressing an idealistic hope, but giving all Christians a concrete mission. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers always, not just when it is "realistic" or when we believe we can succeed. It is a Christian imperative, as realistic and important as the related demand that we love one another, as Christ loves us. These two integral tasks are integral to the Christian life. As Christians, we must love all people and, because of that, we must all be dedicated to achieving peace in our lives, our communities, and our world. In this way, peace becomes not just a naïve ideal, but a very real hope.