A rchive Date
[ 07-04-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Vatican ]
|
[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/goodden.html
Yes, a good Catholic can be pro-war
By Herman Goodden - London Free Press
April 7, 2003
Since the coalition forces started moving into Iraq two and a half weeks ago with the goal of ousting the regime of Saddam Hussein and destroying his stash of forbidden weapons, a number of readers have asked me how I can jibe my Catholic faith with my repeatedly expressed support of this international initiative.
After all, Pope John Paul II has repeatedly spoken against war in general and has specifically rejected the arguments for aggressive action in this case. Am I not obliged, therefore, either to renounce my membership in the church this Pope leads or to retract all those earlier columns and attend the next anti-war rally in Victoria Park?
"Since you are such a dedicated Catholic," one reader wrote (with, I sense, at least a smidgen of sarcasm), "I am sure that you are in agreement with the Pope's teachings on peace, which are identical with those of Christ. You seem always to agree with the Pope's position on sexuality and the role of women in church and society. So it seems strange that you are so unwilling to take a stand against the present war on Iraq, which the Pope and American and Canadian bishops have pointed out meets none of the criteria for a just war: right authority, just cause, probability of success, non-combatant immunity and proportionality (it must not produce evils and disorders graver than those to be eliminated)."
Let me briefly address each of these criteria. - Right authority: The terms of surrender after the United Nations-sanctioned Gulf War of 1991 demanded Saddam immediately disarm and unequivocally prove to inspectors he had destroyed all stocks of biological and chemical weapons, as well as all plans and preparations to acquire nuclear weapons. By his failure to make good on those terms, the 1991 state of war continues. - Just cause:
In the wake of 9/11, the United States, Britain, Australia and many other democracies whose government leaders don't plant their heads in the dunes of oblivion have determined it is now too dangerous to let such an aggressive maniac with proven connections to terrorist cells remain in unchecked power. - Probability of success: I haven't heard even this war's sternest critics express any doubt that (providing he isn't already dead) Saddam's days are meagrely numbered; at most, two digits. - Non-combatant immunity? The world has never seen a war where such pains have been taken to minimize civilian casualties, with coalition soldiers heroically exposing themselves to enormous risks specifically to protect the innocent and get them out of harm's way. - Proportionality?
The plan is to eliminate a murderous and brutally repressive regime, and as speedily as possible help the Iraqis rebuild and then turn their newly freed country over to them. A lot could still go wrong (that's the risky thing about war) but so far, the coalition forces are handily prevailing and evil and disorder appear to be on the run.
So I still support this war, I still remain a Catholic, and I still love and admire John Paul II more than any other leader - religious or political --on the world stage.
True, in his prudential judgment the Pope does not see the justification for this war, but because he does not speak in this matter "ex cathedra" (in a way which sets this teaching forth as definitive or infallible), I'm not obliged to uphold his position in order to retain church membership. In truth, it would disturb me if the Pope didn't hold out for peace as he does; would the Vicar of Christ ever come out as pro-war?
I utterly agree with the Pope that war is a catastrophe, and that it is always a Christian's obligation to search for peace and, in the words of his recent letter to military chaplains, "to work and pray so that war disappears from the horizon of humanity." I believe that is one of the goals of this incursion into Iraq; to greatly decrease, if not eliminate, the likelihood of a much bigger war later.
Herman Goodden is a London freelance writer. His column appears in Monday's and Thursday's Opinion pages. It no longer appears in Sunday's A&E section. He can be e-mailed at herman.goodden@sympatico.ca Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@lfpress.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
Cross-Indexed:
|
|