Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76Plough Quarterly • Summer 2015 45 reclaim its language whenever they criticize atrocities such as the targeting of civilians. Consider the alternative to Just War theory: a world in which there are no limits on warfare even in theory, and in which what can be done may be done. This is clearly an amoral position, one that has proved dangerously attractive to some recent Christian thinkers. After the United States began to threaten preemptive war against Iraq in 2002, prominent Catholics such as Michael Novak and George Weigel argued for updating the Just War theory to allow for the Bush administration’s actions. The problems with such opportunistic flexibility are obvious. The Just War tradition thus remains a crucial measuring stick. This is true not just for its adherents, but also for pacifists seeking to discern how to respond to a given war. Not all wars are equal, and pacifists’ choice of response – ranging from protest to noncoopera- tion, obstruction, and even sabotage – may depend on the degree of injustice perpetrated by the war-makers. During World War II, for instance, the pacifist movement in America generally did not attempt to impede the war effort, implicitly recognizing the element of justice in the Allies’ cause. Dorothy Day, for one, protested the killing, especially the bombing of civilians. With A. J. Muste and the historic peace churches such as the Mennonites, Quakers, and Brethren, she urged young men to refuse military service. Yet she did not attempt to block arms shipments. Every Church a Peace Church? Just War theory has far more to offer pacifists than a useful tool. It can become a path to the abolition of war. An extreme speculation? Not if we take the Just War criteria seriously. What- ever we may make of the near total absence of Christians in the military before AD 313, and however we may evaluate conditions in past ages, in the present day war almost certainly cannot be defended as a last resort, nor can it be waged in a proportionate manner and with respect for civilian immunity. In other words, modern war by its nature is not just, nor can it be. That is why the Catholic Church is becom- ing, if not pacifist, then at least a peace church. Other major Christian communions are on a similar journey. Already in 1947, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani wrote that war has changed in specie, in its very nature, and must be altogether forbidden. He would prove not to be an outlier. Pope John XXIII, in Pacem in Terris, taught that “it is contrary to reason to hold that war is any longer a suitable way to restore violated rights.” And the Second Vatican Council unequivo- cally condemned the use of weapons of mass destruction, urging Catholics to consider questions of war and peace “with an entirely new attitude” (Gaudium et Spes). Imagine solid ranks of Cath- olic conscientious objectors heeding the call of Pope Paul VI at the United Nations on October 4, 1965: “No more war, war never again!” His message was echoed by Pope John Paul II when he addressed the youth of Ireland at Drogheda in 1979: “On my knees I beg you to turn from the paths of violence and return to the ways of peace. . . . Violence only delays the day of justice. Violence destroys the work of justice. . . . Do not follow any leaders who train you in the ways of inflicting death. Love life! Respect life, in yourselves and in others. Give yourselves to the service of life, not the service of death. . . . Violence is the enemy of justice. Only peace can lead the way to true justice.” The Catholic Church is becoming, if not pacifist, then at least a peace church.