Ready to Fight a War? Peace Ethics Reflections

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has substantially shaken the foundations of peace in Europe and is based on historically and religiously untenable justifications. The struggle for an appro­priate response once again highlights the tension between non-­violent action and the possibility of the legitimate use of force. This tension ­remains characteristic of Catholic peace ethics; it must not be resolved unilaterally. On the one hand, the guiding principle of “just peace” is based on a process ethics based on human rights and the common good, which is primarily concerned with enabling peace and a proactive focus on causes. On the other hand, traditional test criteria of the doctrine of “just war” remain indispensable in terms of constant and critical moral reflection on the possibilities of legitimate force. However, its use must always remain committed to the overarching goal of overcoming violence.  

On this basis, from the perspective of Christian peace ethics and its basic pacifist orientation, talk of “war-fighting readiness”, which (more so than the term “war-fighting capability” preferred here) focuses on inner motivation, must at least be met with caution. There is a danger of an overly one-dimensional and reductionistic interpretation that does not represent a sustainable response to the challenges and threats following the German security policy shift or “Zeitenwende”.  

On the other hand, a pacifist position need not be advocated only in its radical form. It is right and important to examine the Sermon on the Mount, which insists on options that are as non-violent as possible, with regard to its normative meaning. However, it would be wrong to derive from it a fundamental prohibition of defense for an entire country in the event of a war of aggression. Nor does legitimate self-defense call into question the primary option for an ethos of non-violence in general. In awareness of this tension, Catholic peace ethics continues to serve as an important compass; however, it does not offer a ready-made template that leads to a solution without a differentiated and context-sensitive analysis of the individual case.