From Deterrence to Abhorrence: How the Catholic Church Has Changed Its Mind on Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear weapons constitute one of the greatest current threats to world peace. While the Roman Catholic Church has been unequivocal in its condemnation of their use, Church teaching since the Second World War on possessing nuclear weapons as a deterrent has been less clear-cut. This article will lay...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2021
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| In: |
Science & Christian belief
Year: 2021, Volume: 33, Issue: 2, Pages: 83-98 |
| Further subjects: | B
Benedict XVI
B Catholic Social Teaching B John Paul 11 B Deterrence B NUCLEAR disarmament B Francis, Pope, 1936- B BENEDICT XVI, Pope, 1927- B Just war doctrine B Pope Francis B Nuclear Weapons B AVERSION B Just War Theory B World War II |
| Summary: | Nuclear weapons constitute one of the greatest current threats to world peace. While the Roman Catholic Church has been unequivocal in its condemnation of their use, Church teaching since the Second World War on possessing nuclear weapons as a deterrent has been less clear-cut. This article will lay out the principles of Just War Theory and demonstrate that the use of nuclear weapons is never morally justified. It will show how the thinking of the Church's Magisterium moved from accepting the possession of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to teaching that the very possession of such weapons is intrinsically immoral. It will conclude with a call for the immediate abandonment of the policy of nuclear deterrence, together with unconditional unilateral nuclear disarmament, as the only moral imperative consistent with divine law. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Science & Christian belief
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