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Catholic just war theory is a moral framework for evaluating warfare that dates back to St. Augustine but has its roots in older, pre-Christian ethical systems. Though the theory has been widely embraced not just by Catholic theorists but also by policymakers, it’s also been widely criticized. Some Christian pacifists, pointing to Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence and the early church’s radical rejection of war, argue that the very idea that a war could be just constitutes a betrayal of gospel values.
Yet others argue that absolute nonviolence is an impossible ideal, and means putting the vulnerable at the mercy of unjust aggressors. Critics of radical pacifism point to multiple instances of wars waged to stop unjust aggressors, invaders, and assaults against human life and dignity.
It’s a topic with multiple intersecting moral questions. Is just war theory a sophistical attempt to defend the indefensible, or a viable framework? Should victims of oppression and violence be held to absolute standards of nonviolence, or are they justified in defending themselves? Is pacifism an impossible ideal, or something we can really work for?
On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to author and activist David Swanson about just war theory, where it comes from, how it is applied, and whether it is ever possible for a war to be just.
Swanson is executive director of World BEYOND War, and campaign coordinator of RootsAction.org. His books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He has been awarded the Real Nobel Peace Prize, an alternative award, supported by the Lay Down Your Arms Association, and inspired by the belief that the Nobel Committee has strayed from Alfred Nobel’s original vision. He’s the recipient of the 2018 Peace Prize from the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation, and has been involved in multiple peace organizations.
You can read some of Swanson’s work, and learn more about this topic, in these links.
- “Just War Theory,” by Alexander Moseley
- War Is A Lie, by David Swanson
- When the World Outlawed War, by David Swanson
- “We need to reclaim the legacy of Christian nonviolence,” by Nicholas Hayes-Mota
- “What does the church teach about self-defense?” by Jacob Kohlhaas
- “Record arms spending defies Pope Francis’ final warnings,” by Kevin Clarke
- “The Mennonite Catholic who puts pacifism in action,” a U.S. Catholic interview
Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.
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