Posted on 08/20/2014 12:42:52 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Yesterday Pope Francis endorsed military action to stop the Islamic State (formerly the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) from persecuting religious minorities, especially Christians and Yazidis, in Iraq. The pope’s statement is to be welcomed—albeit with serious reservations.
As various experts noted, the Vatican is typically opposed to any sort of military action. James Bretzke, a priest and professor of moral theology at Boston College, told USA Today that “popes in recent history have all lined up against any military intervention, including World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and, most recently, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.”
Indeed, just last month Pope Francis issued a passionate plea for both Israel and Hamas to cease fighting in Gaza and put down their weapons. "Please stop," the pope said in his weekly address from the balcony in Saint Peter's Square. "Brothers and sisters, never war, never war! I am thinking above all of children, who are deprived of the hope of a worthwhile life, of a future."
So why is this situation different? How is Hamas, a terrorist organization that targets Jews, a Middle East minority, different from ISIS, a terrorist organization that goes after Christians, Shia, Yazidis, and, presumably, if given the chance, Jews? Regarding ISIS, Francis reasoned that “where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor…I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.'”
The pope is not naïve. What stops violence is not careful verb choice, but violence. So why is it licit to use violence to stop this unjust aggressor and not Hamas or, for instance, Bashar al-Assad?
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
Those who refuse to stand up to evil, are giving tacit approval for evil to flourish.
One could extrapolate that it is evil to refuse to stand up to evil.
Evil will destroy good, if left to it’s own desires.
What the flock?
Message to ISIS: when The Holy Father wants you dead, you have officially and egregiously screwed up. Next thing you know the Dalai Lama will be lining up to kick ISIS butt.
CC
“I underscore the verb ‘stop.’ I’m not saying ‘bomb’ or ‘make war,’ just ‘stop.’”
What a steaming pile. The author says the pope is not naïve, that he knows it will take war. If so, then he’s a hypocrite who wants to avoid responsibility for what he is advocating by playing cheap word games. Then he’ll be free to criticize us if we do go in.
The author could have simply referred to the Catholic Catechism for justifiable violence:
1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
3. there must be serious prospects of success;
4. 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 2309].
Israel has successfully used other means to stop Hamas, including limited force, espionage, and giving Gazans the best living condition of any arab. Assad has used chemical weapons.
OTOH, ISIS fits all the criteria, without question.
He won’t criticize. He won’t say anything, pro or con.
His Holiness knows that bombing alone will not do there job. He is advocating invasion, domination and conversion.
I support that plan.
I learned early in life not to pray for peace but always for victory for the good guys.
And victory can only mean, eliminating the bad guys.
The Holy See is more concerned for the survival of the Holy See. He knows what a million crazed islamists breaking down his door means.
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