Just War

John Courtney Murray was a defender of the just war tradition, but recognized that it was more honored in breach than observance. In a 1959 article, he wrote:

“The tendency to query the uses of the Catholic doctrine on war initially rises from the fact that it has for so long not been used, even by Catholics. That is, it has not been made the basis for a sound critique of public policies, and as a means for the formation of right public opinion. The classic example, of course, was the policy of ‘unconditional surrender’ during the last war. This policy clearly violated the requirement of the ‘right intention’ that has always been a principle in the traditional doctrine of war. Yet no sustained criticism was made of the policy by Catholic spokesmen. Nor was any substantial effort made to clarify by moral judgment the thickening mood of savage violence that made possible the atrocities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think it is true to say that the traditional doctrine was irrelevant during World War II. this is not an argument against the traditional doctrine. The Ten Commandments do not lose their imperative relevancec by reason of the fact that they are violated.”