CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DAREN BOWYER JUST WAR DOCTRINE

Further evidence of a shift of conscience, or consciousness, in the last decades of the
Twentieth Century can be seen by contrasting the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’
Pastoral Letter of 1983 entitled The Challenge of Peace 56 , with the statement they
released on its tenth Anniversary, The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace. 57 The
Pastoral Letter addressed issues of war and peace in a nuclear age. Drawing heavily on
traditional just war doctrine it sought, nevertheless, to highlight the likelihood of
nuclear holocaust in the event of international conflict and to promote a presumption
against war. There is no real discussion in the letter of the possibility of forcible
intervention in the interests of justice or humanity. The 1993 paper, in contrast, whilst
recognising the contrasting traditions in Christianity of just war and non-violence,
focuses greatly on peacemaking and on universalist concepts of humanity, justice and
human rights (the grounds on which so many calls to armed intervention have been
justified):
The millions and millions of people killed just in this century in war or by
repressive regimes are ample proof that we must chart a new path to peace and
justice. Pope John Paul II outlined this challenge this year in Denver,
[T]he international community ought to establish more effective
structures for maintaining and promoting justice and peace. This implies
that a concept of strategic interest should evolve which is based on the
full development of peoples — out of poverty and toward a more
dignified existence, out of injustice and exploitation toward fuller respect
for the human person and the defense of universal human rights. 17
As we consider a new vision of the international community, five areas deserve
special attention:
1. strengthening global institutions,
2. securing human rights,
3. assuring sustainable and equitable development,
4. restraining nationalism and eliminating religious violence and
5. building cooperative security. 58
This all suggests a much more interventionist stance, a greater readiness to accept the
need for armed force, and a valuing of justice over sovereignty.
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