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Must Just Peace and Just War Be Mutually Exclusive?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2018

Abstract

In April 2016 Pax Christi International and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace cosponsored the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference at the Vatican. The conference issued an Appeal calling on the Catholic Church to make nonviolence and just peace central to its purpose, while also urging it to cease teaching or using just war theory. This roundtable consists of four perspectives from Catholic moral theologians who offer just-war responses to this Appeal.

Type
Theological Roundtable
Copyright
Copyright © College Theology Society 2018 

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References

1 Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, §§79–80, in Abbot, Walter M., SJ, The Documents of Vatican II (Piscataway, NJ: New Century Publishers, 1966)Google Scholar.

2 National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1983)Google Scholar, para. 78.

3 Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, An Appeal to the Catholic Church to Re-commit to the Centrality of Gospel Non-Violence, April 2016, https://nonviolencejustpeace.net/final-statement-an-appeal-to-the-catholic-church-to-re-commit-to-the-centrality-of-gospel-nonviolence/.

4 Mark J. Allman and Tobias Winright, “Protect Thy Neighbor: Why the Just-War Tradition Is Still Indispensable,” Commonweal, June 17, 2016, 7–9, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/protect-thy-neighbor.

5 Lisa Sowle Cahill, “‘A Church for Peace’: Why Just-War Theory Isn't Enough,” Commonweal, July 11, 2016, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/church-peace; Marie Dennis and Eli McCarthy, “Jesus and ‘Just War’? Time to Focus on Just Peace and Gospel Nonviolence,” Huffington Post, October 1, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jesus-and-just-war-time-to-focus-on-just-peace-and_us_57ec6282e4b0972364deab50; Drew Christiansen, SJ, “Pope Francis Calls for a ‘Politics of Nonviolence’ in Annual World Day of Peace Message,” America, December 12, 2016, https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2016/12/12/pope-francis-calls-politics-nonviolence-annual-world-day-peace-message; Gerald Schlabach, “Just War?,” Commonweal, May 31, 2017, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/just-war-0; and Peter Steinfels, “The War against Just War,” Commonweal, June 5, 2017, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/war-against-just-war.

6 Pope Francis, “Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace,” Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Celebration of the Fiftieth World Day of Peace, January 1, 2017, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20161208_messaggio-l-giornata-mondiale-pace-2017.html.

7 Christiansen, “Pope Francis Calls for a ‘Politics of Nonviolence’ in Annual World Day of Peace Message.”

8 Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, An Appeal to the Catholic Church to Re-Commit to the Centrality of Gospel Non-Violence.