A Just War?

There are many today who question the concept of the Just War, and some who dismiss it altogether. In theology circles sometimes the subject will come up and people will wonder if it is possible to have a Just War now given the advances we have made in technology and international relations. And then there are pacifists who say war is never just and never right and should never be contemplated. I often wonder what the solution to situations like Nazi invasions is then: do we just sit back and allow ourselves be invaded and killed? Do we allow innocent people be killed?  I have never heard a pacifist give a convincing answer to those questions, some of them seem very idealistic and think every problem can be solved by dialogue and cooperation and the elimination of social equality. 

Lest I seem anti-pacifist, I'm not, the above solution is the actually best in many if not most situations. Jumping on the tank all guns blazing should never be the first response to a crisis, nor any response. However there are times when the good and moral have no choice but to engage in conflict for the greater good. Making such a decision is agonizing (or at least it should be) and must be the fruit of much deliberation, discernment and prayer, and must be subject to law, reason, prudence and proportionality.

We are now in a situation where we may well need to consider if it is time for a Just War. This is the issue the editorial team at The Catholic Herald is considering today, and it has come to the conclusion that humanitarian aid and the US's limited airstrikes are not enough. The IS group is still making inroads in Iraq and Syria and its members are literally butchering the defenceless people they meet as they wage their campaign to establish a new empire for Islam. Perhaps many are not aware of what is actually happening on the ground. The media has concentrated on the plight of the Yazidis and mostly ignored the massacre of Christians. Initially claiming that tens of thousands of Yazidis were running in fear of their lives, they have now realised, as indicated at the start, there are about 4,000-5,000 Yazidis. There are, however, tens of thousands of Christians who are also running in fear of their lives, and a large number, perhaps well over a couple of thousand if not more, have already been executed by IS for refusing to convert to Islam - children among them. How do we respond to this? Or do we respond at all?

"Am I my brother's keeper", Cain asked God after he had killed his brother Abel and hid the body. Do we have a responsibility for our fellow men and women?  As we know we have the right, indeed the duty, to defend ourselves, do we also have the duty to defend others, particularly those who cannot defend themselves? And do we have the duty to defend the defenceless even if it means we may well end up losing our own lives? President Barack Obama has stated that he will not send US troops into Iraq - not one American soldier will die in this conflict.  Fair enough, he wants to protect his citizens, but how far do you go to do that? Does one close ones borders and let hell reign over the earth and let the innocent be massacred while all are tucked up safe in bed at home? Are we our brothers and sisters' keepers? I think today's feast may have the answer to that: St Maximilian went to the defence of a defenceless man knowing that it would cost him his life. The Jews have a saying from their writings: "To save one life is to save the world entire", and Jesus our Saviour says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend".

So what do we do now? The US has said it will do no more; the EU has its head stuck in the sand; the Arab League will not fight against its own. The UN might pass a resolution or two in the safety of New York or Geneva. Is there a case for a Just War, and if so, who goes? What are the dangers? Will action end up in a global war were militant Muslims perceive an attack against Islam and rally the troops all over the world to fight? Such questions need to be considered. Some fearing such a conflict may well prefer to allow the Christians of the Middle East, and other non-Muslim minorities, perish rather than continence what could be World War III. After all, they are over there, why bring it over here if we can keep it there? But can we be so sure that it will stay there?  And can we stand by and let innocent men, women and children be slaughtered? Hard questions have to be asked, action is necessary, but when is the "international community" (if it still exists) going to do something?

As we are pondering all this, breaking news: IS has released its projections for the next five years.

"To Die For Christ...Is To Live"

St Christopher Magallanes (second row, second from the right) and Companions.

Today is the feast of St Christopher Magallanes and Companions, the first martyrs from the Mexican persecution of the Church to be canonised.  I will continue my reflections on the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War in a moment, but we need also heed the lessons to be learned from the Mexican conflict.

Mexico was different from Spain in that faithful Catholics took up arms against their persecutors in the Cristero movement.  None of the martyrs whose feast we celebrate today were involved in that movement, but some of the beatified Mexican martyrs were, most notably the fourteen year old Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio.    The question which one might ask oneself is: can we take up arms against our persecutors?  In terms of the Spanish Civil War most historians seem to imply that we Catholics can't - we just lie down, support the Republicans and then take the bullet they have reserved for us.   Can we defend ourselves against martyrdom?

Well the answer to that is yes, we can, within certain limits - limits laid down by the Just War theory.  We have the right to defend ourselves, our family and our faith, but must do so within ethical limits and only as a means of defence.  We cannot run headlong into martyrdom - if it comes upon us and there is no means of escape, we embrace it, but we have a responsibility to preserve our lives, but not, of course, denying Christ or his teachings to do so.    The rising in the Vendee following the French Revolution was one such effort, as was the Cristero movement - though I'm sure ethicists will argue back and forth.

Our martyrs today were not involved in the armed struggle against the persecuting government of Mexico, though one of them, St Christopher Magallanes, was accused of stirring it up.  The group consists of twenty-two priests and three laymen, all killed simply because they were Catholic, and indeed apostolic in their labours in the vineyard.  St Christopher was a most remarkable priest, full of initiatives to help the poor of his parish and beyond. 

Back to the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War: in my last post I spoke about the canonised martyrs of Turon, today I would like to draw your attention to another Saint-Martyr, St Jaime Hilario, also a De La Salle brother.

St Jaime was a most attractive person: he was dedicated to Christ, to his vocation and to the children he served as a teacher, but he also had many obstacles to overcome even before he was called to martyrdom.  He was born Manuel Barban Cosan in the foothills of the Pyrenees in northern Spain, in the village of Enviny on the 2nd January 1898.   He was a rather serious young boy who lived his faith with great earnestness.  When he was twelve he had made up his mind to become a priest, and at that young age entered the minor seminary.  While he was there he developed problems with his hearing, and so it was decided that he could not go forward for ordination

Disappointed, Manuel returned home to his family, but did not lose his hope of giving his life to God.  He believed that God did not want him to be a priest, his rejection from seminary revealed that, so he must try and see if God wanted him in the consecrated life as a brother.  He approached the De La Salle brothers, and after careful consideration the superiors invited him to enter the congregation.  He was thrilled, and so on 24th February 1917 he entered the novitiate in Irun.   It was where God wanted him:  professing his vows, he began work as a teacher and served for sixteen years in the classroom.

His hearing problems did not go away, however, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to perform his duties in the classroom.  His superiors made the painful decision (for Jaime) to take him out of teaching and appointed him the gardener at the congregation's house of formation in San Jose, Tarragona.  The move was difficult - some would say that it was a humiliation, but Jaime, already walking the path of holiness, embraced this sacrifice and threw himself into this humble work, living each day with joy and serenity as his hearing gradually worsened.

In July 1936, given a short break, Br Jaime was making his way home for a family visit when the Civil War broke out.   He never reached Enviny: recognised as a brother, he was arrested by Republicans  and jailed.  In December he was brought to Tarragona and there transferred onto a prison ship where he joined a number of other De La Salle brothers.  Conditions on the ship were not too good, and aware of what lay ahead, Jaime prepared for death. 

On the 15th January 1937 a "trial" was held in which Br Jaime was condemned as a teacher of the Catholic faith.  While he insisted that he was only a gardener, he also confirmed that he was a religious and made it clear that he was not going to abandon either his vocation or his faith.  He was condemned to death and the sentence was carried out the next morning in a local cemetery known as the Mount of Olives.  His last words were: "To die for Christ, my young friends, is to live".    Two volleys missed him: terrified, the executioners fled - their commander, however, had no such fear.  Walking up to Br Jaime he shot him at close range, discharged five bullets, killing him. 

Jaime was beatified on the 29th April 1990, and canonised in the same ceremony as his brothers, the Martyrs of Turon, on the 21st November 1999.