The pope's delicate balance
Hehir, J. Bryan
Church/world watch The pope's delicate balance J. Bryan Hehir ONE OF PAUL VI's many contributions to the social ministry of the Catholic church was the initiation of the World Day of Peace....
...Second, the 1982 Day of Peace Message illustrates the strain under which the delicate balance is maintained...
...The strain arises from the character of modern war, particularly nuclear war...
...The common characteristic lies in the connection he draws between theological anthropology and moral theology...
...The rationale of the linkage of anthropology and ethics is that resort to force is both a sign of the sinful human condition and a tragically necessary response to sin...
...In a day when vast increases for the military budget move from executive proposals through the legislative process with little or no resistance, the issue of public opinion needs careful consideration...
...no less important is his reference to the qualitatively new problem posed by nuclear war...
...The 1982 Day of Peace Message makes a major contribution to contemporary Catholic teaching on war and peace...
...Briefly put, our moral conclusions should flow from a comprehensive view of the human person...
...This style of moral analysis, from anthropology to ethics, has a long history in the study of warfare...
...Designated as January 1, the observance is marked annually by a special liturgy and publication of the Pope's Day of Peace Message...
...Augustine in the fifth century and Reinhold Niebuhr in the twentieth both employed it...
...These papal messages have typically not received widespread visibility in the secular media, but this year the Polish crisis attuned the press to every remark of the pope on world events...
...John Paul II in his address in Latin America and in Ireland, as well as in this 1982 Message, forcefully continued this theme...
...Four themes highlight the point...
...The phrase is a reminder that political decisions are made in an atmosphere which shapes their content even if it does not determine their conclusions...
...The significance of this affirmation has to be judged in light of the delicately balanced moral teaching on war which has marked papal statements since John XXIII's Peace on Earth (1963...
...A subordinate but consistent second theme in the papal teaching has been to affirm the right of states and peoples, as a last resort, to acts of legitimate self-defense...
...Both the rationale and the moral rule of this position - legitimation of some uses of force - have come under increasing criticism from theologians and activists...
...J. BRYAN HEHIR...
...The exercise of self-defense is limited by John Paul's observation that: "in view of the difference between classical warfare and nuclear or bacteriological wars - a difference so to speak of nature - and in view of the scandal of the arms race seen against the background of the needs of the Third World, this right, which is very real in principle, only underlines the urgency for world society to equip itself with effective means of negotiation...
...This principle is found in the teaching of Paul VI and Vatican II and has now been reasserted by John Paul II...
...Much will be made of the pope's reference to the right of self-defense...
...The church's unique capability in a democracy is its ability to engage the public debate about major moral issues...
...In the pope's words, "When we consider the question of peace, we are led to consider the meaning and conditions of our personal and community lives...
...Both find the Augustinian position a weakening of the evangelical ethic on war...
...While the statement was released right after martial law was declared, it would distort both the significance and the substance of the message to read it exclusively in light of events in Poland...
...The key phrase: "Rulers must be supported and enlightened by a public opinion that encourages them or, where necessary, expresses disapproval...
...The delicate balance of peace advocacy in a conflicted world has been reaffirmed...
...The pope's statement of the case will surely catalyze more debate in the Catholic community...
...The 1982 Day of Peace Message moves us to this consideration by challenging the way we think and act on war and peace...
...Fourth, a particularly relevant theme for Catholics living in a democracy is the Holy Father's emphasis on the role of public opinion as a force for peace...
...Third, the style of the 1982 Message shows an important connection with other aspects of John Paul's social teaching...
...First, while John Paul II has addressed the general problem of violence and war on several occasions, this statement is the first time he has explicitly affirmed the right of legitimate self-defense: "This is why Christians, even as they strive to resist and prevent every form of warfare have no hesitation in recalling that, in the name of an elementary requirement of justice, peoples have a right and even a duty to protect their existence and freedom by proportionate means against an unjust aggressor...
...John Paul II has continued the tradition, and released in late December his third Day of Peace Message...
...The primary thrust since 1963 has been to place the voice of the church squarely on the side of peace advocacy, to argue against the use of force, to cite its destructive character and its inability to resolve conflicted political issues in a fundamental way...
Vol. 109 • March 1982 • No. 6
