Debating the pope's denunciation of war
Jacoby omits any mention of the pope's reference to the people of Gaza, where Israel's campaign fails two key Catholic standards for a just war: the
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Finally, war must be
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C. J. Doyle
Executive director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
Boston
Lest it be misunderstood: Jesus condemned violence
'All who take the sword will perish by the sword' (Matthew 26:52).
I appreciate Jeff Jacoby as a thoughtful, conservative writer, and I judge that he had a reasonable argument going when he declared Pope Leo XIV as 'deeply misguided' when the pope said that 'war does not solve problems.' However, Jacoby made a big mistake when he tried to clinch his own view that some wars do solve problems when he used a quote from Jesus.
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One can use pretty much any individual biblical citation to bolster one's argument, as I have above in rebuttal, in referring to the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus tells Peter to put his sword away after cutting off the ear of a soldier during Jesus' arrest. This is called
Furthermore — and the bigger point — almost all biblical scholars would agree that Jesus condemned violence throughout his life and certainly wouldn't agree with Jacoby's assertion that 'sometimes only through deadly force' can evil 'be overcome.'
As for the pope, my guess is that when he says that war only 'amplifies' problems, he is not only alluding to the enormous suffering brought about by war, which Jacoby acknowledges, but also the problematic aftermath of most wars.
For example, Jacoby cites how Operation Desert Storm liberated Kuwait. What he failed to acknowledge is that following that event,
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Art McDonald
Salem
The writer is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister.
'Then justice will dwell in the wilderness'
I prefer Isaiah's hope/prophecy regarding peace and justice:
'Then justice will dwell in the wilderness ... The effect of righteousness will be peace ... My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places' (
May it be so.
Jean Condon Lechtenberg
East Falmouth
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