HOT TOPICS: War Just War Supported by Scriptures Atila Sinke Guimarães Last week I cited the main principles of Natural Law characteristic of a just war, and gave my opinion that they apply appropriately to this war, the war against terrorism. Included in this category was the war against the countries that most blatantly host terrorist groups, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Iran. The quoted doctrine of Fr. Luigi Taparelli could be reinforced with texts by St. Robert Bellarmine, Suarez, Victoria, St. Alphonse of Ligouri and many others. Since Taparelli summarizes well what the others sustain on this topic, it seemed more useful to move to a different front of Catholic thinking that supports just war. During and after Vatican II, high religious authorities took a position against war, any war, be it just or not. “Never again war! Never again war!” were the melodramatic exclamations of Paul VI when he visited the United Nations headquarters in New York.[1] From that time on what has come from the Holy See has been pacifist, i.e., unilaterally supporting peace, implying that this is what the authentic Catholic Magisterium has always taught. This implication is false. Let me start to refute it. This article continues in Guimarães recently published book War, Just War   War Controversy Index  | Hot Topics  |  Home Page Books  |  Tapes  |  Contact Us ©2003 Tradition In Action, Inc. All Rights Reserved