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Forming the
Consciences Why Youth? “Well how would you have protected our country after September 11th?” This is a question I fielded from a Catholic high school student after I talked about my life as a Catholic Worker and my choice to refuse violence as a means of solving conflict. Her question was a good one – one that needs to be addressed by the Church and the larger peace community by training citizens in nonviolent civil defense. But the girl’s question was indicative to me that the Church has a long way to go in forming the consciences of our youth when it comes to matters of war and peace. The military is ahead of the game. Recruiters are in high schools weekly, if not daily, talking to freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors about the “army of one.” The military is attractive to youth because of its rigorous demands and stimulating lifestyle. Let’s be honest, the military offers students a chance to do something meaningful─something that will let them make a difference in the world. The military asks youth to stretch their mental and physical capacities to the limit and beyond. It asks them to be willing to give their life for freedom. The Church has the obligation to offer its young people an alternative vision─of a Christianity that is not weak or cowardly, but a Christianity that asks of its members also to be willing to give their life─for their faith. We must offer a Christianity that demands total obedience to God─even when that obedience will get them into trouble with their friends, their family, and their country. Our youth also face another danger. In a few years, they may be drafted to serve in a war. As unlikely as that is, it is a real possibility. We also hear reports from Iraq of U.S. soldiers deliberately executing unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children. This is the reality with which our youth are faced. As they make difficult decisions about their future and military service, they need guidance from the leaders of their faith. They need to know what their Church says about war, peace, and conscience. They will have questions like, “Is it ever OK to go to war? If so, when? What types of acts are moral in war? Is it OK to destroy an entire city of civilians in order to win a war?” Church Tradition and Teaching on Participation in War A Christian is under the moral obligation to defend peace against violence. Our Church teaches that we as Catholics have two options in choosing “how” to defend peace. We may defend peace either by using active nonviolent means─such as prayer, the works of mercy, and nonviolent civilian defense techniques─or by participating in a war that has met the “just-war” criteria. A Catholic does not have the option to participate in an unjust war, even if it is for good intentions. These teachings come from 2000 years of tradition. The earliest Christians were pacifists. They based their response to violence on the words and example of Jesus, who taught a nonviolent love of enemies, and who rebuked Peter: “Put away the sword” (Mt 26:52). Further, they believed that the nonviolence of the Church showed that Christ had fulfilled the prophecy, “They will beat their swords into plowshares . . . and study war no more” (Is 2:4). Early Christians permitted no military service because this would mean pledging allegiance to a pagan empire and violating the nonviolent teachings of Jesus. Often, Christians were martyred for their actions. From St. Marcellus to St. Maximilian to St. Martin of Tours, their cry was, “I can not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ.” Not surprisingly, the total commitment to nonviolent pacifism that marked those earliest centuries weakened considerably after the conversion of Emperor Constantine, when the Roman Empire became Christian. Christians began to find it possible, even honorable, to serve in Rome’s legions. To curb increasing participation in war in the fourth century, St. Augustine began to articulate the strict circumstances under which a Christian could consider such participation. In the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas elaborated on Augustine’s teaching, which has developed into what the Church today calls the Just War tradition. This tradition, still similar to that of nonviolence, stresses a presumption against the use of violence to deal with conflict. According to the 1983 bishops’ pastoral letter, all of the following conditions must be met before a war can be considered just: ► The war must be fought for a just cause ► The war must be declared by a legitimate authority ► No state should assume absolute justice for its cause ► There must be a right intention ► War must be a last resort ► There must be a reasonable probability of success ► The war’s costs and harmful effects must not be greater than the good to be achieved Only just means must be used in war─strategies and weapons must discriminate between civilians and combatants, and force must be limited so that no greater damage is caused than necessary. Although the just war tradition has been dominant for the last 1500 years, the original tradition of nonviolence in the Church has never been completely abandoned. St. Francis of Assisi, who laid down his arms after his conversion, is but one noteworthy example of this. Sadly, the just war theory has never been applied to fulfill its intended purpose of stopping unjust wars from taking place, or even of forbidding Christians to participate in an unjust war. Even during the Nazi regime, German Bishops continued to urge Christians to fight for their country. In recent decades, however, the tide has been turning. Toward the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. bishops declared that the war had ceased to be just. They also declared the First Gulf War to be unjust. Just before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Vatican declared the war to be “illegal, immoral, and unjust.” Many in the Church are becoming more vocal that, given the way war is waged today, it cannot be possible for any modern war to meet just-war criteria. Pope Benedict XVI, while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, declared in March 2003, “There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a ‘just war’.” Conscientious Objection—A Practical Application If the Church considers a war to be unjust, as it has in the case of Iraq, what are young Catholics to do? What are Catholics in the military to do? The Church must urge Catholics in the military and Catholic youth to refuse to serve in an unjust war - to become conscientious objectors Conscientious objection is a sincere conviction, motivated by conscience, that forbids someone from participating in war. Catholics who reject participation in war in any form are considered by the United States military to be conscientious objectors (COs), and can be honorably discharged from military service. Civilian COs, if they are ever drafted into military, would be eligible to apply for legal status as a conscientious objector and could perform alternative service. However, not all Catholics are total COs. Catholics who accept the just war tradition and who come to the conclusion that a particular war— or a particular aspect of a war — is unjust, are considered to be selective conscientious objectors (SCOs). While the Church supports both conscientious objection and selective conscientious objection, current U.S. law only recognizes total conscientious objection. SCOs who are in the military and refuse to participate in a war they know to be unjust must decide between violating their consciences or facing punishments like fines and imprisonment. What Can We Do as a Church? Every day, Catholic youth are being recruited into a military that is waging a sinful war. We as a Church must prepare them to stand firm in their faith and refuse to violate their consciences and the teachings of their faith. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) wrote in their Declaration on Conscientious Objection, “Efforts must be made to help Catholics form a correct conscience in the matter, to discuss with them the duties of citizenship, and to provide them with adequate draft counseling and information services.” Youth
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CPF is prepared to train youth ministers, teachers, and other concerned Catholics across the country in how to lead these interactive presentations. If you are interested in having CPF do a training workshop in your area, please contact us at
The USCCB also wrote, “As we hold individuals in high esteem who conscientiously serve in the armed forces, so also we should regard conscientious objection and selective conscientious objection as positive indicators within the Church of a sound moral awareness and respect for human life.” Similarly, in a 1984 address to a group of young parishioners in Rome, Pope John Paul II, praised conscientious objection as “a sign of maturity when people manage to accept another form of public service that is not military service.” Let us encourage our youth to make conscientious decisions regarding participation in war, decisions that come from a conscience that is well-formed in faith. Brenna Cussen |