In another adventure in FrancisTheology, we learn this:
...“A war is always — always! — the defeat of humanity, always,” he said. “There is no such thing as a just war: they do not exist!”...
Aside from the flat-out contradiction of Thomas Aquinas' teaching--never before contradicted--this poses a wider problem:
The concept of 'just war' is tightly intertwined with the use of deadly force in self-defense.
A. It is called by a sovereign authority.
B. It has a just cause.
C. The combatants have morally right intentions (not vengeance or profit – see below).
D. Qualifying Conditions (from the theory of double-effect on his justification of killing in self-defense: ST II-II, 64, 7):
Cannot intend intrinsically evil actions.
A good action, or at least a morally neutral action, will have two effects: a good intended, and an evil, not intended, but tolerated.
Proportionality: the good to be achieved outweighs the evil of war
Declaring that there is 'no such thing as a just war' indirectly puts into question section (D) above, which justifies deadly force in self-defense.
Given Francis' inclination to mouth extremist positions, we are entitled to ask if Francis also proposes that there is 'no such thing as licit self-defense utilizing deadly force'.
(Let's not. He's likely to answer erroneously.)
1 comment:
Well, if there no justication for war, Italy ought just walk in and take over the Vatican. I'm sure the Swiss guards will accommodate them.
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