Catholicism and Just War Theory
A Bishop Robert Barron video
Bishop Robert Barron recently travelled to Annapolis, at the request of the US Naval Academy, to address sailors on topics of spiritual and pastoral importance. As part of the visit, he toured the storied city, exploring its historical and religious legacy.
In a video filmed at the Annapolis National Cemetery, he outlines the criteria the Church uses to avoid crass warmongering and to determine the legitimacy of defensive measures.
Some people wonder: Is there a contradiction between a commitment to military service and a commitment to the Gospel?
Even though we should live with self-sacrifice and Gospel charity at our centre, we live in a fallen world characterised by conflict and coercion. Sometimes then, requisite force must be used to protect the innocent. From this instinct, “just war theory” has emerged in theological and philosophical frameworks.
Bishop Robert Barron reflects on issues of just war theory
Annapolis is in Maryland, east of Washington on Chesapeake Bay. It is the home of the US Naval Academy. Maryland started as a British colony in North America in 1632. Its first settlement and capital was St Mary's City. It began as a proprietary colony of the English Lord Baltimore, who worked to create a haven for English Catholics in the new world at the time of the European wars of religion.
Bishop Robert Barron notes a Catholic presence in public life