Has the Pope declared Iraq an unjust war?

[Postman]

I know he has spoken generically about "war" in general but has he pointed a finger at Iraq and said "This does not meet Catholic teaching of just-war-theory?"

[davhill]

1. I Believe so

He has made many statements condemning the war specifically. I will try to find a link.

[Postman]

4. I've done the searches...

words like "against"..."opposes"...."warns"....

but NO direct statement calling the Iraq War an unjust war under Catholic just-war-teaching.

F*cking pathetic.

[alcuno]

6. He said, "If you go to war with Iraq, you go without God."

That was the message that his envoy took to * before the start of the war. It seems pretty clear to me.

[Tinoire]

19. Where and how did you search?

It took me less than 5 minutes to find several articles on this.

For your info he also called the First Gulf War an unjust war.

It's "f*cking pathethic" you missed the big hulabaloo about it and now can't find it when it was front-page news all over the rest of the world. It's f*cking pathethic that the majority of Americans are content with repeating the crap they hear on Fox and CNN without either the know-how or the desire to search for the truth.

And we wonder why our country is in such a fucking pathethic state ;)

[JVS]

2. I think that he said that he was gravely concerned about it...

but an outright condemnation of it has not been issued as far as I know.

[donhakman]

3. yes he did

last Christmas

[Postman]

5. I've seen nothing that backs up your answer.

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/JustWar/Iraq/

"opposing" is not a statement condemning the war.

It is not a statement calling it "unjust"

It is not a statement saying that the Iraq invasion does not meet the "just-war-theory"

[Tinoire]

17. Where were you looking? Pope. Unjust War. Peace Fasts.

He couldn't have made it any clearer than he did. The US news and both pro-war political parties refused to report this (as they do with all the news from the Vatican that condemns the rampant materialism of our culture) but it was reported and is easily verified and was widely reported and discussed at DU and in other progressive circles.

Pope calls for peace fast on Ash Wednesday

By Johanna Bennett


Pope John Paul II has called on Catholics to fast for peace on Ash Wednesday, saying "the future of humanity" will never be determined "by terrorism and the logic of war".

"Never, never, never!" he told the gathering in St Peter's Square as he announced the Day of Peace - March 5 - in his Sunday message, calling on Catholics to show support for peace on this first day of Lent.

And, in concluding his peace appeal, he echoed Matthew's gospel in which it says: "Blessed are the peacemakers".

(snip)

Pope John Paul told the British prime minister in their 15-minute private meeting that a war with Iraq would be an unjust war.

(snip)

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/03/mar/2/02.html

[JVS]

7. I was watching EWTN (the Catholic cable TV channel) a couple weeks before

the election and there was a Priest delivering a homily on this topic. He was saying that those who think that the question of the morality of the Iraq war is of equal importance to the church's opposition to abortion are incorrect. His position was that the RCC's stance towards abortion is definitely anti-abortion, while the church has expressed concern about this war but not rendered a judgement of "unjust war".

[Justitia]

10. This is what I've read too.....unfortunately.....-eom

[matcom]

8. "Catholic Just War"

:eyes:

[Kurovski]

9. He was against the war prior to it

and said so.

I was surprised at how many Catholics I know were unaware of that fact. (all right, six.)

Even Bush's own church was against the war, as were most all Religions but the fire-breathers' .

[Postman]

11. Being "against" is not making a declaration of not meeting just-war-theory

Its a nuance thing.

Its a political thing.

It allows the Catholic Church to get away with being dubious

[Tinoire]

18. “It is an unjust war.” Pope John Paul II

George W. Bush: War criminal?
By CHB Staff

Mar 10, 2003, 05:42

Is Pope John Paul II telling the world that if President George W. Bush goes ahead with his plans to invade Iraq without United Nations sanctions, the Catholic Church will consider Bush a war criminal?

“A war would be a defeat for humanity and would be neither morally nor legally justified,” the Pope told Bush in a papal message delivered last week by a special envoy.

“It is an unjust war.”

This leads even conservatives like John McLaughlin, host of the syndicated McLaughlin Group and a longtime supporter of both conservative and Republican causes, to have second thoughts.

(snip)

“The Pope is saying an invasion of Iraq would be criminal,” says McLaughlin, who is also a former Jesuit priest. “A statement that strong cannot be ignored.”

(snip)

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=15&num=1904

[davhill]

12. Here is one link that is pretty clear

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0210-03.htm

[Kurovski]

13. That was pretty much how they all felt

religions had at least one organised coalition that spoke as one. I read of a couple of press conferences.

Again, only the death-cults had a hardon for the war.

[bvar22]

14. The old "one picture is worth.......

[Kurovski]

15. You can almost hear the Holy Father muttering

Oy, Gevalt!

[durutti]

16. ..."unjust and illegal".

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/iraq/1806694