Iran attacks queried in light of ‘just war’ criteria

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said “it is very questionable on why we would do that if there is no immediate threat that’s there that has to be nullified”.

“We have been told that the nuclear capabilities of Iran, the Iranian government, have been neutralised by a bombing that took place months ago,” the cardinal said.

The same sovereignty concerns apply in Ukraine, which has been under attack by Russia for several years, he added.

“When in fact that principle of the sovereignty of a nation is violated, then we can make any excuse to go ahead and wage war. That is a principle that we have to safeguard and part of the consensus that we had since the Second World War.

“. . . We have had over this period of time, these 80 years, a way and ability, through the United Nations and other bodies, to respect human rights, but also the sovereignty of nations as disputes are in many ways taken up.”

Catholic theologians in the United States said President Donald Trump should maintain moral clarity in his decisions and his conduct by complying with the long-standing Catholic tradition of just war doctrine, EWTN News reported.

For a war to be justified, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it must be waged to fight against a grave evil, the damage caused by waging the war cannot be graver than the evil it is meant to eliminate, there must be a serious prospect of success and all alternatives to war must have already been tried.

Taylor Patrick O’Neill, theology professor at Thomas Aquinas College, said every condition must be present for a war to be just. He said a war is sinful “if you fail to meet a single one of those criteria”.

President Trump’s justification for the Iran action is based on claims that the Iranian regime is seeking a nuclear weapon through its uranium enrichment programme.

Three months ago, Tulsi Gabbard, US director of national intelligence, said the intelligence community assessment is that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon” and that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had not authorised a nuclear weapons programme.

Professor O’Neill said Catholics have a right to “question whether or not just cause is present” and “question whether or not right intention is present”. He said there would need to be an “imminent” threat, such as if there is “some weapon or [if] some type of military action is currently being planned and will be executed”.

He said the criteria for just war cannot be met if “it’s not very clear what the goal is”. As of March 5, Iran’s death toll is at least 1230.

FULL STORY

Cardinal Cupich: ‘We must embrace principles to avoid wars’ (By Deborah Castellano Lubov/Vatican News)

Catholic theologians urge Trump to follow just war doctrine as Iran conflict drags on (EWTN News)

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