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Mairead Corrigan Maguire asks Pope to abolish Just War doctrine
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Tuesday December 06, 2005 02:18 by Justin Morahan - Peace People
Short meeting - quick words
During the recent Summit of the Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI granted them an audience together and then had a short meeting with each one.
During her very brief interview, Mairead Corrigan Maguire asked the Pontiff to abolish the "Just War" doctrine.
Here is her own report of the encounter "On Wednesday 23rd November, 2005, I had the privilege of meeting in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, with Pope Benedict XVI. After his public address, he greeted a delegation of Nobel Peace Laureates present in Rome to attend the Sixth Nobel Peace Summit.
In his address, to the St. Peter’s Square audience, the Pope spoke of unconditional love. I could not helping asking myself: "why if the Catholic Church, speaks so much about unconditional love do so many Christians facilitate and participate in violence, armed struggles and war?" The answer might be that the message is too vague, there is too much ambiguity about violence, and many Christians are confused by the old Just war theory. In truth, as we are each the 'temple of the Holy spirit', and in the words of Vatican II 'grace lives in the hearts of all men and women’' how can we hurt or kill the spirit of God living in another person? How can we hurt or kill our brothers and sisters and say we love them?
When I met the Pope, I took the chance to ask him to ‘abolish the Just war theory, and proclaim the nonviolent gospel of Jesus’. He smiled. (Four years ago Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, made a statement saying the time is coming when we will have to get rid of the just war theory). I told him I was from Northern Ireland, and invited him to visit us. The moment's encounter was brief and intense and I was moved by his quiet, peaceful, and listening persona. Understanding, that I would not get to speak much to him, I had written him a letter. In this letter I asked the Pope, as this was the year of the Eucharist, the sacrament of nonviolence, to consider calling a Council to declare 'No Just war and proclaim the Nonviolence of Jesus'. I stated my belief "how much the World needs the message of active nonviolence", and that "it would truly be a Pentecostal moment if the Church proclaimed Jesus' nonviolence to a World in need of renewal and healing"
The Catholic Church officials will argue that they are for peace, and always have been.
But tragically the practical gospel message of "no killing, and love your enemy" is often, for the Church, a step too far, and hence since the third century and the time of Constantine, Christians have been amongst the most war-like and violent people on earth. Even to-day, in the recent war and invasion of Iraq, carried out mostly by USA and UK Christians, the justification of invasion, torture, and use of phosphorus chemical weapons on people is described by some as ‘just war’, or justifiable to ‘stop terrorism’. They seem blind to the fact that war is terrorism! To all our shame only a handful of Bishops in the USA actually opposed the war against Afghanistan, and very many American people from Christian background supported war and the invasion of Iraq. And in Ireland, how many continued to support paramilitaries and the ‘armed struggle’? How many put aside the message of love of enemy and non-killing? How many regarded it as a non-issue, a non- thought? I believe, if there is to be any future for humanity then we must transform our violent cultures into nonviolent ones and begin to build non-killing societies where we live. In developing such a new culture, all faith traditions have a role to play, by bringing peace and non-violence to the centre of their theology. The human family faces violence on many fronts, war, nuclear weapons, poverty, environmental, human rights, women's rights. We await with hope, what His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and our world’s Spiritual Leaders have to say to us on such issues of our time……. MAIREAD CORRIGAN MAGUIRE, BELFAST." (www.peacepeople.com)
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Comments (14 of 14)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14As of midnight on Monday, a short time ago, the Peace People website referred to above has disappeared for reasons unknown. Will update this space on the story and the return of the site.
... is the error message that comes up on a 'BT Office' page.
Definition:
403 Forbidden/Access Denied :
The Web site you requested requires special access permission (for example, a password).
Al-Qaeda are extremist Muslims who follow the will of Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed and have declared war against all non-Muslims and all peoples throughout the world who do not live according to Muslim Sharia Law. They wish to achieve world domination with the establishment of a worldwide Caliphate.
Perhaps Mairead Corrigan Maguire could go talk to Ossama Bin Laden or Musab Al-Zaraqawi and ask them to give up their jihad and love their neighbours. I wonder how long she would last before she is beheaded or stoned to death as a prostitute for not wearing a full length burka?
I fully understand that certain Catholics armed with a rich harvest of dogma, some biblical input and practically no knowledge of the history of the papacy might continue to believe that Popes are interested in bringing peace. Unfortunately, the Church has a distinguished record in 'spin'. How many of the faithful were ever told that the excommunication of IRA members (the army of the poor trying to reclaim Ireland) went back to an agreement between the English Pope, Adrian IV and Henry II, ratified by the bishops at Cashel, whereby Ireland was given to England?
With regard to Iraq, there are secret mutual back-scratching agreements between the Pope and the non-elected American junta.
And when in history did the Catholic Church ever excommunicate the armies of the rich stealing from the poor?
Thanks Mairead for making a world leader of a state think. You made use of the opportunity to speak in advocacy for the human community. The issue of war is not simple: the pillars that create it have to be tackled too. It is the historical condition but no harm in imagining a change and challenging us to work for it through each opportunity we get, respecting each other's afforts.
If someone(s) is coming to murder you and your family it would be highly irresponsible and show complete absence of love to not use violence if that was the only way to prevent it. Violence in such a context is justified. You wouldn't put ur arms up saying : " I'm a christian: I don't believe in violence. Go ahead. Kill us!"
"Defence is one's duty;
Aggression is an act of madness."
Warmongers always want to dominate. If they don't get results through supposedly peaceful means like commerce, trade, stealing, propaganda, demands, threats, sanctions, barefaced lies, intelligence gathering, interrogation . . . they escalate the stakes or change the language, so there comes torture, destruction of life and homes, mass invasions, training of humans in blind obedience so that they become killing robots - all of which which they call "war". If the domination has been challenged spectacularly and by using means similar to their own, they will call it a just war.
The warmongers will always be in power, on whichever side; but among the people they are supposed to represent and defend will be many souls who do not agree with their methods and many also who will never profit from their pyrrhic victories.
War is defence gone wrong. It is the deliberate poisoning of the human mind, so that it goes mad with rage and thinks nothing is better or nobler than to go on a rampage of killing of other humans who have been similarly indoctrinated on an "enemy" side: it then uses a multiplier, either in number or degree, high enough to gain notoriety in savagery. Both sets of trained killers either believe in their righteousness or are unable to say No to what they are cajoled into, pushed into, or bullied into, once they have been caught in the trap
The so-called Just War doctrine gives a blessing to this scenario - absolving or encouraging both sides, since both sets of protagonists maintain they are defenders, and so they can send their fighters to their inglorious battlefields with all the approval and comfort-trappings of some religion.
If throughout history there had been as much effort and money spent on the study and promotion of non-violent methods of defence, human brotherhood and sisterhood, fair play, justice and true peace, today there would be no need for armies. The world would be a more pleasant place.
But the people in charge of resources are the people who love power. They want to dominate. They build up "defences" to any challenge to their power. These "defences" are human flesh and blood ready to kill, i.e. armies. People with power find armies useful. They use armies like wedding guests use pieces of confetti - throwing them around wherever they may fall.
Except confetti pieces are almost valueless and have no mothers, fathers, consorts, siblings, babies or loved one to mourn them. Neither do the well-dressed couple and their unsuspecting guests on whom the confetti falls.
The Peace People website is back since yesterday. Apparently its disappearance was due to a a BT fault.
http://www.peacepeople.com/
Does Justin except that violence in the context of the above which I outlined is justified?
Yes or No?
"I could not helping asking myself: "why if the Catholic Church, speaks so much about unconditional love do so many Christians facilitate and participate in violence, armed struggles and war?"
So you even bore yourself?
Pope Benedict lived under a tyranny in Nazi Germany. Forced into the Hitler Youth-although from a committed anti-Nazi family.
He knows a thing or two about just war.
No doubt he smiled wryly at the cossetted, self-righteous anti-warriors telling him no war was just.
Either by intention or by Freudian slip you ask do I "except" that violence in the context you outlined is justified. Or maybe you meant do I "accept" this.
I don't accept it. For me the word "violence" means the unjust use of force. If I were to use force in the situation you outline, I take it that even you would agree that it would not be an unjust use of force unless I used more force than was necessary, willingly and knowingly. If my definition is acceptable (and I have lived with it and argued for it over many years), then the statement: "Violence in such a context is justified" makes no sense and is self contradictory. How do you expect me to agree with you that "The unjust use of force is justified"?, a self-contradictory statement.
If however you meant do I "except" (i.e. make an exception for this case) that "violence" in the context you outline "is justified", my answer again is No, and for the same reason.
There is no "luvy duvy" element in my reasoning .
I agree with you that I would not invite the agressor to kill me and my family in any way, much less in the absurd manner that you suggest. Pacifism (or attempted pacifism) is not passivism It does not mean abandoning all defence of self or loved ones - far from it.
The slow, deliberate, cold-blooded preparation for war that power hungry armchair generals engage in before sending others out to kill or be killed for their own selfish interests is a far cry from the example you cite of an innocent indidviual or family under imminent or immediate threat to life.
next time the CEO of Vatican Corporation needs a bit of a cheap luvvy PR whitewash on his shellgame for warmongers, and you are talking to him, would you please ask him to abolish himself?
Or better still, just go the extra mile and take care of the 'abolishing' yourself, a wee on-the-spot-DIY-job. I'd say that should be worth an RIP-Prize.
See, if there's no Pontifex Maximus, then there's no Roman Catholic Church to teach and propagate the 'Just War' doctrine on behalf of their Class-A clients, Nation States and Corporate Sponsors.
Their Class-B 'clients', aka Sheep / Believers / Victims, who pay a bitter price in every sense of the word for this business model, will ultimately thank you for this valuable service.
Abolishment options:
A pearl-handled revolver in a back-room of the bunker was the preferred honourable exit in old Benny's early days, but a variety of modern 'retirement' techniques have since been developed.
Check the internet, use your imagination and better luck next time you get close!
Moral of the Story:
"And all these things shall come to pass,
'ere I shall tip another glass..."
i.e. Benny & Co. are made men using the system they have set up, it's running better than a greased pig for 1500 years or more - why do you think they would want to suddenly, voluntarily remove the engine of their incredible material success?
Please get real Mairead - or learn to wear the luvvy badge with pride.