Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Savagery of War

"Nothing is lost by peace, everything may be lost by war"
- Pope Paul VI

Gaza horrors sow seeds for future violence

Death Toll Mounts as Israel Expands Offensive in Gaza

Israel Invades Gaza, Hoping to Pummel Hamas into a Truce

Israeli military surrounds Gaza City

Death toll rises as Israel encircles Gaza City

Gaza Ground War: Day One

Striking Deep Into Israel, Hamas Employs an Upgraded Arsenal

Magisterial perspectives:

Catechism # 2265:
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility...

Compendium of the Social Doctrine # 500:
...To be licit, the use of force must correspond to certain strict conditions: “the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain; all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; there must be serious prospects of success; the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated...

# 504:
The right to use force for purposes of legitimate defence is associated with the duty to protect and help innocent victims who are not able to defend themselves from acts of aggression...

# 505:
The principle of humanity inscribed in the conscience of every person and all peoples includes the obligation to protect civil populations from the effects of war...

/

God save the innocent.



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