As members of the Vincentian Family we have become accustomed to using terms such as Advocacy, Aporophobia, Homelessness, Collaboration, Systemic Change, etc., to describe either situations that we encounter in our work/ministry or actions that we carry out. To deepen our understanding of these concepts from the perspective of our charism, we have developed this series of posts, entitled a “Vincentian Dictionary”, with the aim of offering each week an explanation of the various words/phrases from a social, moral, Christian and Vincentian perspective. Inspired by the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, we hope to deepen our understanding and reflect on service, social justice and love of neighbor. At the end of each article you will find some ideas for personal reflection and/or group dialogue.
Follow the complete thread of this Vincentian dictionary at this link.
II. A Christian Reflection on War
War is one of humanity’s most devastating realities, both ancient and persistent. Its consequences leave no nation, culture, or generation untouched. Amid global efforts to seek peace and justice, Christianity offers a deep and enduring moral voice calling for reconciliation, mercy, and the dignity of every human person.
1. Understanding War: A Moral Challenge
War, at its core, is a rupture in human relationships. It arises from broken dialogue, entrenched injustice, power imbalances, fear, and often greed. Morally speaking, war represents a failure—a failure of diplomacy, of justice, of solidarity, and ultimately of love. It contradicts the moral law that calls for the protection of life and the pursuit of the common good.
While secular moral theories (like just war theory, pacifism, or consequentialism) attempt to offer ethical frameworks for understanding or even justifying war, Christianity poses a more radical and holistic question: What does it mean to seek peace rooted in truth, love, and justice?
2. The Biblical Perspective on War
2.1 The Old Testament: A Tension Between Justice and Mercy
The Old Testament contains accounts of war, sometimes seemingly sanctioned by God. The conquest narratives (such as those in the Book of Joshua) often pose moral difficulties. These texts, however, must be understood within their historical and theological context: a time of tribal struggle and a progressive revelation of God’s will.
Amid these warlike images, the Hebrew Scriptures also reveal a deep longing for peace and justice. The prophets, especially Isaiah and Micah, offer visions of a transformed world:
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation” (Isaiah 2:4).
Here, peace is not the mere absence of war but a state of right relationships, of harmony with God and others.
2.2 The New Testament: Radical Nonviolence and Reconciliation
In Jesus Christ, God’s definitive word on violence is spoken: peace is the path of the Kingdom. Jesus does not preach military resistance, even in the face of Roman occupation. Rather, he calls for the love of enemies, forgiveness without limit, and mercy as the hallmark of divine action:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
The Sermon on the Mount is the ethical heart of Christian discipleship and a radical rejection of vengeance and violence. Christ’s death on the cross, refusing retaliation and forgiving his executioners, is the supreme revelation of God’s nonviolent love.
3. The Catholic Tradition and the Church Fathers
3.1 Early Christianity and Nonviolence
The early Church was profoundly marked by the example of Christ’s nonviolence. Many of the early Christians rejected military service and martyrdom was preferred over taking life. Church Fathers such as Tertullian and Origen articulated a theology that saw violence as incompatible with the Gospel.
Tertullian famously asked, “Shall the son of peace take part in the battle when it does not become him even to sue at law?” (Tertullian, De Corona, chapter 11). This represents an early consensus that to follow Christ was to reject the sword.
3.2 The Development of Just War Theory
As Christianity moved from the margins to the center of the Roman Empire, with the conversion of Constantine, new moral questions arose. St. Augustine of Hippo laid the foundations for what would become the Catholic doctrine of just war. He argued that war, while always tragic, could be morally permissible under strict conditions: it must be declared by a legitimate authority, have a just cause, and be conducted with right intention:
They who have waged war in obedience to the divine command, or in conformity with His laws, have represented in their persons the public justice or the wisdom of government, and in this capacity have put to death wicked men; such persons have by no means violated the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Augustine, City of God, chapter 21).
St. Thomas Aquinas later refined this teaching, emphasizing proportionality, the probability of success, and war as a last resort.
Further, nothing, except sin, is contrary to an act of virtue. But war is contrary to peace. Therefore war is always a sin (St. Thomas Aquinas, The Summa Theologiæ, Second Part of the Second Part, Question 40).
On Summa Theologiae II-II, Q.40: On War, St. Thomas Aquinas, addressing the morality of war, upholds a nuanced yet principled view rooted in justice and Christian doctrine. He distinguishes between just and unjust war, affirming that war is not inherently sinful if it meets specific conditions.
Aquinas responds to the objection Is war always sinful? that war contradicts Christ’s teachings on peace and non-retaliation. Drawing heavily from St. Augustine, he argues that war can be morally legitimate if three conditions are met:
- Legitimate Authority – Only rulers, responsible for the common good, may declare war.
- Just Cause – The enemy must be guilty of some wrong, such as aggression or injustice.
- Right Intention – The aim must be to promote good, not revenge or domination.
Even with these conditions, the intention behind war is paramount; it must seek peace and justice, not cruelty. Aquinas differentiates unlawful private violence from state-sanctioned defense of the common good.
In sum, Aquinas offers a clear doctrine: war may be just, but only under strict moral criteria. All warfare must ultimately aim at restoring peace—not merely winning battles. Yet even within this theory, war was never glorified. It was always considered a tragic exception, to be avoided whenever possible.
In the final years of his pontificate, Pope Francis initiated a significant shift in the Catholic Church’s stance on the traditional theory of Just War. Pope Francis increasingly distanced the Church from this position, signaling a transformative development in Catholic moral teaching.
His change of position was clearly articulated during Vatican-sponsored conferences on nonviolence and peacebuilding, particularly in the 2016 and 2022 gatherings. He argued that the Just War theory was no longer viable in the modern world due to the devastating capabilities of contemporary warfare and the asymmetrical nature of most conflicts. In Fratelli Tutti (2020), he went further, stating: “We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits” (FT 258). He called for the Church to say once more a firm and clear ‘no’ to war: “it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war’. Never again war!”
This represented a departure from previous Church teachings that allowed war under strict moral conditions. Instead of revising the traditional criteria, Pope Francis suggested abandoning the framework altogether in favor of a stronger commitment to nonviolence, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention. The emphasis shifted from justifying war to fostering dialogue, reconciliation, and addressing the root causes of violence.
His move was not merely political or pragmatic—it was deeply theological and pastoral. It reflected a growing awareness of the Gospel’s call to peace and the Church’s mission to be a sign of hope and unity in a fractured world. His leadership invited Catholics to imagine a new paradigm where peacemaking, not war-making, defined Christian witness in the world.
4. The Social Doctrine of the Church
4.1 A Preferential Option for Peace
The modern Church, especially since the horrors of the World Wars, has deepened its commitment to peace. The Church’s social doctrine, articulated in documents like Pacem in Terris (John XXIII), Gaudium et Spes (Vatican II), and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (John Paul II), recognizes peace as inseparable from justice, truth, and respect for human rights.
War is often a symptom of deeper social sins: poverty, exclusion, greed, nationalism, and the arms trade. The Church teaches that these root causes must be addressed through systemic change, development, and diplomacy.
4.2 The Dignity of Every Human Person
At the heart of Catholic teaching is the belief that every person is made in the image of God. This foundational principle means that no life is disposable—not that of an enemy, a civilian, or a soldier.
This vision leads the Church to condemn indiscriminate violence, total war, and all actions that target non-combatants. It also inspires the Church’s humanitarian efforts during conflict, through Caritas and other agencies.
5. The Voice of Recent Popes
5.1 St. John Paul II: “War Never Again”
John Paul II’s papacy was marked by his passionate and repeated appeals for peace. He opposed the Gulf War and the Iraq War, insisting that war is “always a defeat for humanity” (To the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, January 13, 2003). In his view, dialogue, solidarity, and development are the only true paths to lasting peace.
He championed the dignity of the person, especially in his reflections on human rights and the culture of life. Peace, for John Paul II, is not passive—it is the fruit of moral commitment and prophetic courage.
5.2 Pope Benedict XVI: Truth, Love, and Justice
Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the deep relationship between truth and peace. He warned against relativism, which can erode shared moral foundations and lead to conflict. He called for education in peace and a global ethic grounded in natural law and human dignity.
His encyclical Caritas in Veritate linked peace with authentic development, denouncing economic injustice and environmental degradation as forms of structural violence.
5.3 Pope Francis: A Church of Mercy and Dialogue
Pope Francis became one of the world’s most vocal moral leaders for peace. He has condemned war as “madness” and “a defeat of politics.” In Fratelli Tutti, he writes powerfully about the futility of war, the arms industry, and the need for nonviolent strategies of conflict resolution.
He insists that peacemaking is part of the Church’s very mission. The Christian is not neutral in the face of injustice: he or she must be a bridge-builder, a reconciler, a voice for the voiceless.
6. The Role of the Church in Resolving Conflicts
The Church does not merely oppose war in theory; it seeks to be an active agent of peace in the world. Through diplomacy, humanitarian work, education, and interfaith dialogue, the Church works to prevent violence and heal divisions.
Examples abound: the Vatican’s mediation in Latin America, the work of religious communities in Rwanda and South Sudan, and the Pope’s appeals during global conflicts. The Church calls nations to conversion of heart, reminding them of the human cost of every bomb, every displaced family, every child traumatized by war.
The Church proposes no utopia. She is aware of sin and evil. But her message is that reconciliation is possible—because God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ.
III. A Vincentian Reflection on War and Peace
1. St. Vincent de Paul: The Peace of Charity
St. Vincent lived during a time of war, especially the Thirty Years’ War and civil conflicts in France. He saw firsthand the destruction it caused—the famine, the orphans, the displaced. His response was not political but deeply evangelical: he mobilized charity.
For Vincent, peace began with concrete acts of love. He organized aid for war victims, sent missionaries to rebuild shattered communities, and formed clergy who would preach reconciliation.
St. Vincent de Paul made his greatest impact by organizing institutional responses to human suffering. Amid the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War, he directed a major relief mission for Lorraine, a French province overwhelmed by famine, violence, and societal collapse.
Though he never visited Lorraine, Vincent learned of its dire state through Vincentians stationed in Toul and refugees in Paris. He called for prayer, sacrifice, and practical aid, convincing the Ladies of Charity, royalty, and donors to support a sustained relief mission. Funds and supplies were sent regularly and distributed by Vincentians across major towns like Nancy, Metz, and Verdun, where churches served as relief centers.
This is a time to do penance since God is afflicting his people. Should we not be at the foot of the altar bewailing their sins? We are obliged to do so. But in addition, should we not retrench some of our usual food for their relief? (CCD:XII:818-819).
As a result for some three or four years Vincent and his community in Paris contented themselves with black bread at table.
In the dangerous countryside, Brother Matthew Regnard, C.M., made over fifty clandestine trips to deliver aid, often in disguise and at great personal risk. His work also brought refugees, especially children, to Paris where they were cared for and trained.
I began as soon as I arrived to distribute alms. I find there is such a large number of poor people here that I cannot give something to each; there are more than three hundred in very great need. . . . More than a hundred . . . look like skeletons covered with skin and . . . they present such a horrible appearance that if Our Lord did not give me strength, I would not dare to look at them. Their skin is like black marble. . . . their eyes and whole countenance have a scowling appearance. . . . It is the most dreadful sight I have ever seen. They hunt about in the fields for roots which they cook and eat (CCD:II:30).
Vincent’s efforts lasted 14 years (1635–1649), saving countless lives. He remained committed even when peace seemed unlikely and when aid work became routine and discouraging. Though he never set foot in Lorraine, the people honored him as their benefactor, and a century later, a memorial altar was erected in Verdun Cathedral.
2. The Vincentian Family Today
The Vincentian Family continues this mission of peace. Many of her branches are working tirelessly in conflict zones and advocating for social justice: the charism of Vincent is alive in nonviolence, systemic change, and love for the poor.
Vincentians reject violence not just because it kills bodies, but because it destroys the relationships that form community. They proclaim that every human life is sacred, and that even the smallest gesture of compassion is a step toward peace.
To be continued…
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