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ROMA - There’s war in Iraq. A war strongly opposed up to the last minute by the Catholic Church. Opposed but never condemned, judging by what was said by its supreme authority, the pope.
The media have not been clear about this lack of condemnation. They have almost always reported John Paul II’s words as if they declared an absolute anathema on this war, if not indeed on all wars.
But there isn’t a trace of this condemnation in any of the frequent, relentless speeches in which the pope has called for peace in Iraq.
To verify this, see John Paul II’s original texts on the theme, carried at the bottom of the page. Ending with the March 19 general audience, the texts stretch back to Jan. 1, the day the Church traditionally dedicates to world peace.
In all of his speeches, the pope preaches peace, presenting it as an absolute imperative and the inescapable horizon of every decision that governments and individuals make. Yet he never goes so far as to define war in Iraq as “a crime against peace,” as have, for example, two of his aides, Archbishops Jean-Louis Tauran and Renato Martino.
The pope’s words stand out for the intense religious sense that marks them. Rare and very measured are the passages that he has dedicated to concrete ways for constructing peace in the Gulf. And they have the form of a “discourse on method,” not of a precept.
Regarding method, one example is the admonition John Paul II gave to the world’s ambassadors Jan. 13:
“War cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions.”
And the warning he issued during the March 16 Angelus meditation is also an appeal to make decisions responsibly:
“We know well that peace is not possible at any price. But we all know how great is this responsibility.”
In these, as in other passages, the pope never excludes war in Iraq from the arc of practicable and just decisions.
But he entrusts that judgment to the consciences and intelligence of each person. The pope shows himself unyielding only on the final horizon of peace, not on the ways for arriving there. And the peace he preaches is essentially that “which comes from God.”
This is confirmed in the discontent that the papal position has produced among Catholic pacifists.
A good number of them in Italy have written an open letter to John Paul II, saying:
“Your Holiness, we ask of you a simple and univocal affirmation that does not leave loopholes for parentheticals and hairsplitting.”
This is a sign that, in these pacifists’ judgment, the pope’s “no” to war is not radical – without “ifs” and “buts” – as they would like it to be.
Among the letter’s signatories are the prior of the Camaldolese Benedictine Abbey of Fonte Avellana, Alessandro Barban; the president of “Beati i costruttori di pace” (“Blessed Are the Peacemakers”), Father Albino Bizzotto; the vice-director of “Famiglia Cristiana,” Angelo Bertani; missionary Father Alex Zanotelli; non-violence activists Enrico Peyretti and Massimo Toschi; and well-known priests, nuns, and theologians.
The text of the letter is on the Internet with the list of its signers. Here’s the link:
> Appello al papa
And here follows a faithful anthology of John Paul II’s comments on the war in the Gulf, with links to the entire speeches:
> General audience of March 19, 2003
May St. Joseph, universal patron of the church, watch over the entire ecclesial community and, man of peace that he was, obtain for all humanity, especially for the peoples threatened in these hours by war, the precious gift of harmony and peace.
> Angelus of March 16, 2003
I wish to renew an urgent appeal to intensify the commitment to prayer and penance, to invoke from Christ the gift of his peace. There is no peace without conversion of heart.
The next few days will be decisive for the outcome of the Iraqi crisis. Let us pray, then, that the Lord inspire in all sides of the dispute courage and farsightedness.
The political leaders of Baghdad certainly have the urgent duty to collaborate fully with the international community to eliminate every reason for armed intervention. To them I direct my urgent appeal: the fate of your fellow-citizens should always have priority.
But I would also like to remind the member countries of the United Nations, and especially those who make up the Security Council, that the use of force represents the last recourse, after having exhausted every other peaceful solution, in keeping with the well-known principles of the U.N. Charter.
That is why, in the face of the tremendous consequences that an international military operation would have for the population of Iraq and for the balance of the Middle East region, already sorely tried, and for the extremisms that could stem from it, I say to all: There is still time to negotiate; there is still room for peace, it is never too late to come to an understanding and to continue discussions.
To reflect on one's duties, to engage in energetic negotiations does not mean to be humiliated, but to work with responsibility for peace […].
I belong to that generation that lived through World War II and, thanks be to God, survived it. I have the duty to say to all young people, to those who are younger than I, who have not had this experience: “No more war,” as Paul VI said during his first visit to the United Nations. We must do everything possible. We know well that peace is not possible at any price. But we all know how great is this responsibility. Therefore, prayer and penance.
> Angelus of March 9, 2003
As today’s Gospel (Mk 1:12-15) suggests, during the forty days of Lent believers are called to follow Christ into the “desert,” in order to confront and defeat with Him the spirit of evil. This is an interior battle, upon which the concrete organization of one’s life depends. It is, in fact, from the heart of man that his intentions and actions are unleashed (c.f. Mk 7:21), and therefore it is only by purifying his conscience that he prepares the way for justice and peace, on both a personal and a social level.
In the current international context, it is clearly more urgent that man purify his conscience and convert his heart to true peace. In that regard, the image of Christ unmasking and defeating the lies of Satan with the power of the truth contained in the Word of God is more eloquent than ever. The voice of God resounds in the depths of each person – but so do the allurements of the evil one. The latter seeks to deceive man, seducing him with prospects of illusory goods, in order to lead him away from the true good, which consists in fulfilling the divine will. But humble and trusting prayer, reinforced by fasting, permits him to overcome even the most difficult trials, and imparts the courage necessary to combat evil with good. Thus Lent becomes a profitable time of spiritual training.
> Angelus of March 2, 2003
This year, we will undertake the penitential journey toward Easter with a stronger commitment to prayer and fasting for peace, which is endangered by growing threats of war. Already last Sunday I had the chance to announce this initiative, which is meant to involve the faithful in fervent prayer to Christ, the Prince of Peace. Peace, in fact, is a gift of God that must be invoked with humble and insistent trust. Without giving up in the face of difficulties, we must seek out and follow every possible way of avoiding war, which always results in sorrow and grave consequences for all.
> Angelus of February 23, 2003
For months, the international community has been living in great apprehension of the danger of war, which could unsettle the entire Middle East and aggravate the tensions that unfortunately are already present at the beginning of the third millennium. The believers of all religions must proclaim that we can never be happy if we are in conflict with one another; the future of humanity can never be assured by terrorism and the logic of war.
We Christians, in particular, are called to be the guardians of peace, in the places where we live and work. We are asked, that is, to keep watch, that our consciences may not give in to the temptations of egoism, deceit, and violence.
I therefore invite all Catholics to dedicate with particular intensity March 5, Ash Wednesday, to prayer and fasting for peace, especially in the Middle East.
> Angelus of February 9, 2003
At this time of worldwide concern, we all feel the need to present ourselves to the Lord to implore the great gift of peace. As I set forth in the Apostolic Letter ‘Rosarium Virginis Mariae,’ “The grave challenges confronting the world at the start of this new Millennium lead us to think that only an intervention from on high...can give reason to hope for a brighter future” (No. 40). Many prayer initiatives are springing up these days, in various parts of the world. While I give these my wholehearted support, I invite all to take up the rosary to invoke the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin.
> Speech to the world’s ambassadors, January 13, 2003
"No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity. International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between States, the noble exercise of diplomacy: these are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences. I say this as I think of those who still place their trust in nuclear weapons and of the all-too-numerous conflicts which continue to hold hostage our brothers and sisters in humanity. At Christmas, Bethlehem reminded us of the unresolved crisis in the Middle East, where two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, are called to live side-by-side, equally free and sovereign, in mutual respect. Without needing to repeat what I said to you last year on this occasion, I will simply add today, faced with the constant degeneration of the crisis in the Middle East, that the solution will never be imposed by recourse to terrorism or armed conflict, as if military victories could be the solution. And what are we to say of the threat of a war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the Prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than twelve years of embargo? War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations. As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations.
> Angelus of January 1, 2003
How can I not express again the hope that leaders will do everything possible to find peaceful solutions for the many tensions in the world, in particular in the Middle East, avoiding further suffering for those already sorely tried populations? May human solidarity and law prevail!
> Homily of January 1, 2003
The Message for the World Day for Peace this year recalls the encyclical ‘Pacem in Terris,’ at the fortieth anniversary of its publication […]. When it was written, threatening clouds were gathering on the horizon of the world, and the nightmare of nuclear war weighed upon humanity. My venerable predecessor […] pointed forcefully to “truth, justice, love, and freedom” as the “four pillars” upon which to build a lasting peace. His teaching is still relevant […]. In the face of the current conflicts and the threatening tensions of this moment, I again invite all to pray that “peaceful means” of resolution may be sought, means inspired by the “desire for fair and constructive agreement,” in harmony with the principles of international law.
__________
On this site, on the war in Iraq:
> Is Europe a Province of Islam? The Danger is Called Dhimmitude (17.3.2003)
> The Interventionist Church. Archbishop Migliore’s Peace Offensive (6.3.2003)
> A Test of Catholic Geopolitics: How to Read the World After September 11 (3.3.2003)
> “L'Osservatore Romano” and “Avvenire”: The Two Discordant Voices of the Church of Rome (26.2.2003)
> After – and Beyond – the Tide of Pacifism. An Essay by Pietro De Marco (24.2.2003)
> From Assisi to Baghdad. If This is the Way to Make Peace (17.2.2003)
> The Theory and Practice of Just War. Nine Documents to Understand It Better (12.2.2003)
> It’s Islam Against the United States – but the Shiite Muslims Are an Exception (5.2.2003)
> Iraq: The Purely Political Reasons for the Church's "No" to War (30.1.2003)
> Exclusive Interview with Ambassador Nicholson: "The Points of Disagreement between Bush and the Pope" (27.1.2003)
> The Three Mysteries of John Paul II, Solved by His Cardinal Vicar (23.1.2003)
> The Pope's Jesuit Allies Duel with Bush's Strategists over Preventive War (21.1.2003)
> Iraq, Europe, and Russia: John Paul II's Three Active Fronts (13.1.2003)
> The Church and Iraq. How to Get Rid of Saddam Hussein without Making War on Him (7.1.2003)
> Iraq. Anche il papa dà l’ultimatum a Saddam (18.9.2002)
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Sandro Magister’s e-mail address is s.magister@espressoedit.it
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20.03.2003 |
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