THE CATHOLIC JUST WAR TRADITION AND RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE

Abstract

The Catholic just war tradition is rooted in the philosophy of Cicero and has been developed by subsequent philosophers and theologians up to the present day. A war can be just only if its purpose is to restore the peace. Applying the just war criteria to the Russian Federation's invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 yields the conclusion that it is an unjust war of aggression and that Ukraine is justified in defending itself militarily. Although Pope Francis appealed to all parties to avoid violence, that did not prevent the outbreak of war. After this major escalation of the war that began with Russia's unlawful annexation of Crimea in 2014, both Pope Francis and the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity criticized Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for supporting Russia's invasion. It is unclear where Pope Francis stands regarding the possibility of a just war. He has made statements that appear to reject the just war tradition as obsolete today. At the same time, he has recognized the right of Ukrainians to defend their country. It is not unjust for Ukrainian soldiers to pay the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their homeland. The profession of arms is a noble vocation. Thomas Aquinas recognized the virtues of military heroes who defend the common good in a just war. Many Ukrainian soldiers have performed acts of heroic virtue. Ukrainian Catholic University Vice Rector Myroslav Marynovych met with Pope Francis in June 2022 and reported that the Roman Pontiff is open to reconsidering the question of justice in warfare. In clarifying the concept of just war, it is important to point out that a war can be unjust on both sides, or just on one side and unjust on the other, but not just on both sides. Consequently, war is always unjust in the sense that all wars are unjust on at least one side. That does not mean, however, that it is impossible for a war to be just on one of its sides.