YOUCAT Lesson 399
YOUCAT the catechism
for Catholic youth
399 When is the use of
military force allowed?
The use of military force is possible only in an extreme
emergency. There are several criteria
for a “Just war”: (1) Authorization by the competent authority; (2) a just
cause; (3) a just purpose; (4) war must be the last resort; (5) the methods
used must be proportionate; and, (6) there must be a prospect of success.
[2307-2309]
Mushroom cloud from the atomic explosion over
Nagasaki rising 18,000 m (59,000 ft) into the air on the morning of
August 9, 1945. … 399
During the final
stages of World War II in
1945, the United States conducted atomic raids on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August
9, 1945. These two events were the only times nuclear weapons have been used
in combat.[19]
For six months before
the atomic bombings, the U.S. 20th Air Force under General Curtis LeMay executed low-level incendiary raids against Japanese cities.
The worst air raid to occur during the process was not the nuclear attacks, but the Operation Meetinghouse raid
on Tokyo. On the night of March 9–10, 1945, Operation
Meetinghouse commenced and 334 Boeing B-29
Superfortress bombers took off to
raid, with 279 of them dropping 1,665 tons of incendiaries and explosives on Tokyo. The bombing was
meant to burn wooden buildings and indeed the bombing caused fire that created
a 50 m/s wind, which is comparable to tornadoes. Each bomber carried 6
tons of bombs. A total of 381,300 bombs, which amount to 1,783 tons of bombs,
were used in the bombing. Within a few hours of the raid, it had killed an
estimated 100,000 people and destroyed 41 km2 (16 sq mi)
of the city and 267,000 buildings in a single night — the deadliest bombing
raid in military aviation history
other than the atomic raids on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[20][21][22][23] By early August 1945, an
estimated 450,000 people had died as the U.S. had intensely firebombed a total
of 67 Japanese cities. --Wikipedia
“The beginning of wisdom is
fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” – Proverbs 9:10
[2307-2309]
Avoiding war
2307 The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction
of human life. Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the
Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine
Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war. (Compare Gaudium et Spes 81 § 4. )105 –Catechism
of the Catholic Church, Second Edition
However,
"as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international
authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied
the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed." (Gaudium et Spes 79 § 4.)106 –CCC
2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous
consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous
conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: –CCC
- the damage inflicted by
the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and
certain; –CCC
- all other means of
putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or
ineffective; –CCC
- there must be serious
prospects of success; –CCC
- the use of arms must
not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The
power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this
condition. –CCC
These are the traditional
elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine. –CCc
The evaluation of these
conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who
have responsibility for the common good.
–CCC
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