“Peace is not merely the absence of war” (Compendium, no. 494). It is a universal duty, founded on a true understanding of the human person and on justice. The Church calls war a “scourge” and “the failure of all true humanism” (Compendium, no. 497), and she teaches that “a war of aggression is intrinsically immoral” (Compendium, no. 500).
A nation that is attacked has “the right and the duty to organize a defence,” but only under strict conditions (Compendium, no. 500). The Church sets the goal of “general, balanced and controlled disarmament” (Compendium, no. 508) and treats weapons of mass destruction as a particularly serious threat (Compendium, no. 509). Every piece below reads a real conflict against these conditions.
A machine has no conscience and so bears no moral responsibility, tested against the UN and Red Cross appeal on autonomous weapons. The Catholic Citizen.
Ukraine’s strike on Novorossiysk damaged four warships and halted two grain terminals. What Catholic social teaching says about the bread at the far end.
Trump’s Gaza disarmament deal calls it disarmament; Hamas calls it inventory and storage. What Catholic social teaching asks of a peace built on zero trust.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard told civilians in seven countries to keep 500 meters from American sites. The Church has a name for making bystanders leverage.
