Ready, aim . . .

I’m in the last stages of preparing what I hope will be a very thorough exploration of Catholic thought on war and peace. I’ve spent the last four days reading encyclical after encyclical, so get ready for some Papa-lovin’!

Michael Denton and Christopher Blosser assert that “war is necessary but not sufficient for peace,” and I think Catholic pacifists like myself have to step up to the plate and answer this assertion – not only for others, but for ourselves. How are we to reconcile our personal commitment to nonviolence with the Church’s stance on the just-war theory and the double-effect rule (self-defense)?

Here’s a teaser:

“No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love. When good overcomes evil, love prevails and where love prevails, there peace prevails. . . . love is the only force capable of bringing fulfillment to persons and societies, the only force capable of directing the course of history in the way of goodness and peace.”
– Pope JPII (2005 Peace Message)