Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana (Dec 2020)
Diritto alla pace, giustizia e “guerra giusta”
Abstract
Today, a third world war is taking place in pieces (Pope Francis) against the expectations born after the fall of the bipolar system. Conflicts today are fourth-generation wars, in which the subjects and the geopolitical scenario have changed. Wars pose the problem of the relationship between peace and justice. The right to peace (as a human right and as a constitutional value) is not yet recognized: this right would make all wars illegitimate. The right to peace requires the elimination of injustices generated by wars justified by deviant reasons and words. There are words, such as “peace” and “justice”, which cannot have a relativistic meaning because they express a higher value; they express the “just”. The legitimation of war (ius ad bellum) and the rules of conduct (ius in bello) affect various sectors (theological, philosophical, historical, juridical). Christianity was a turning point on the theme of the “just war”. The Enlightenment began the reflection on the value of peace in parallel with the common mentality, for which war is independent of any moral evaluation and only serves to achieve other political objectives (Clausewitz). This conception produced dramatic disasters in the twentieth century, generating two world wars and other violent armed conflicts. The theme of just war after World War II has engaged thinkers and theologians. In the secular world, the positions of Norberto Bobbio (supporter of legal pacifism) and Michael Walzer (just war as a defence out of necessity) are of particular interest. These ideas are representative and important but limited because they do not consider religious values. Religious values are important for building peace, according to the Gospel. The reflection on just war in Christianity was initiated by St Augustine and was continued by St Thomas Aquinas. But the current wars demand the development of reflection on the basis of the papal magisterium as well (John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis), from which some conflicting indications arise: war is always unjust, or war of defence is just if it is used to defend man, his rights, and the common good. Religions have the task of building peace through dialogue.
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