‘Opinion’ of pope, bishops on Iraq war not binding
As the proud father of a sailor in the United States Navy, I am offended at the subtle innuendo contained in the editor’s response to a letter recently printed in The Catholic Spirit. While it is true that the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics was authored by a private group of the laity, the false inference given was that an official document of the USCCB would be more authoritative.
As Father Brighenti correctly pointed out in his letter, national episcopal conferences do not possess magisterial teaching authority unless they are unanimous and are approved by the Apostolic See. The five nonnegotiable issues for responsible Catholic voting have not been proven inaccurate nor incomplete. I resent the implication that a preemptive war is de facto intrinsically immoral, especially while our brave men and women of the military daily risk their lives in the war on terrorism.
While the Holy Father has made comments opposing many different wars, battles and military operations, they have consistently been his own personal opinion and not proposed as official magisterial teaching (which he could have done). He speaks as the moral and religious leader in these instances but he has not invoked his supreme and universal teaching authority. A diocesan newspaper should know and make these distinctions. The Catechism in paragraph 2309 reiterates the tradition of the Just War Doctrine (which is also beautifully explained in Catholicism for Dummies). Absent is an official and universal condemnation of any pre-emptive wars or military engagements. There is no blanket approval, yet neither is there an unrestricted denunciation. As long as the moral criteria of just cause, last resort, reasonable hope of success and a proportionate use of means are employed, there does not appear to be an automatic exclusion of pre-emptive force especially when there is an imminent threat by an unjust aggressor.
A few bishops in the Vatican have also made recent comments about the use of military force to confront terrorism. That, too, is opinion and not magisterial teaching. Their personal perspective is that non-military means alone be used to stop and prevent acts of terror. While the use of diplomacy, sanctions and other non-lethal means should always be prior alternatives, it would be immoral for a nation or its legitimate leaders to abstain from military force as a last resort to defend and protect the millions of innocent citizens whose common good is entrusted in their care. It is not that patriotic Catholics must oppose their Church but that those moral teachers have not invoked their full teaching authority, merely that they have offered their learned and prayerful opinion on the matter.
Abortion, unlike war, is never justified
under any circumstances. Unlike war and
military use of force, there are no unjust aggressors
being pursued. Abortion is a direct attack on the innocent unborn.
These victims
are not collateral damage nor are unintentional
fatalities. Those involved with, who
support, procure or promote abortion are always
engaged in an immoral and sinful crime
against life and humanity. Electing politicians
who will end the evil of abortion seems to be
a higher priority than quibbling over technicalities
of war.
Louis Falconeri
Bernardsville
Editor’s Response: We reserve the right to respond to any reader’s letter that raises questions or presents information that requires clarification. The editor’s note in question was written and published in the Sept. 16 issue in direct response to queries raised in the letter written by John Tardy, not to criticize or invalidate the Voter’s Guide under discussion.
However, the point made by Mr. Falconeri that an official document of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops would carry no more authoritative weight than a publication by a private lay group is incorrect. While it is true that not all documents of an episcopal conference rise to the level of the magisterium, they are, after all, prepared by our bishops, who are, by virtue of their episcopal ordination, successors of the apostles. Canon 375 stipulates, “They are constituted pastors in the church, to be the teachers of doctrine, the priests of sacred worship and the ministers of governance.”
Within the bishops’ conference, there are surely many who would fully embrace the Voter’s Guide. There are likely to be others who do not fully agree with the selection of the five issues. Regardless of those positions, it would be misguided to relegate them to the level of mere “opinion,” when they are, in fact, the expressed conclusions of those who have been given the teaching authority of the Church.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law