6th Module - Nonviolence in Church Sources

From Peacebuilding

Nonviolence in Church Sources

The Church’s views on peace and war have developed throughout history. It hasn’t gone as far as explicitly and unconditionally condemning war and violence as ways of addressing conflict. For centuries, philosophical and theological thinking have developed a “just war doctrine”, laying down the criteria to be met for war to be considered legitimate. However, these criteria are so strict that it’s almost impossible for any modern conflict to meet them.

Parallel to the evolution of strict criteria for recourse to war, ideas on nonviolence as a way of addressing conflict have steadily developed within the Church, especially since Pope John XXIII’s Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris and the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.

This module provides resources to start exploring the just war doctrine in official Church documents. It then provides references on nonviolence from the Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, and from statements by Popes John XXIII, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Content Resources:

• The Just War Doctrine according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

• The Just War Doctrine in Catholic Answers.

• Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: The Right to Conscientious Objection and the Right to Resist. Chapter VIII (The Political Community), Section III (Political Authority), of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church devotes one paragraph (399) to “the right to conscientious objection” and two paragraphs (400, 401) to “the right to resist”. These texts should be considered as a concise but complete overview of the Church’s social teaching on nonviolence and resistance to political authority. They provide principles for reflection, criteria for judgement and direction for action.

• Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 48-52. Pope John XXIII reflects on the nature of authority, which is “above all else a moral force […] hence, representatives of the State have no power to bind men in conscience, unless their own authority is tied to God’s authority, and is a participation in it”. This deeper understanding of authority provides us with a theological foundation – with a value ¬– for disobedience and resistance to authority: “governmental authority, therefore, is a postulate of the moral order and derives from God. Consequently, laws and decrees passed in contravention of the moral order, and hence of the divine will, can have no binding force in conscience since it is right to obey to God rather than men”.

• Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 77-82. “Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. […] We cannot fail to praise those who renounce the use of violence in the vindication of their rights and who resort to methods of defence which are otherwise available to weaker parties too, provided this can be done without injury to the rights and duties of others or of the community itself. […] Certainly, war has not been rooted out of human affairs. As long as the danger of war remains and there is no competent and sufficiently powerful authority at the international level, governments cannot be denied the right to legitimate defence once every means of peaceful settlement has been exhausted. […] It is our clear duty, therefore, to strain every muscle in working for the time when all war can be completely outlawed by international consent.”

• Address of Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Square, 18 February 2007. The Holy Father comments on passage in Luke’s Gospel, “Love your enemies” (Luke 6:27). What is the meaning of this teaching? Why does Jesus ask us to love our very enemies, namely, with a love that exceeds human capacities? “This page of the Gospel is rightly considered the “Magna Carta” of Christian nonviolence; it does not consist in surrendering to evil – as claims a false interpretation of “turn the other cheek” (Luke 6:29) – but in responding to evil with good (Romans 12:17-21) and thus breaking the chain of injustice”.

• Pope John XXIII’s Message for Peace, 8 September 1961.

Activities you can use when working on this content include:

• A right to resist? This activity explores participants’ understanding of the “right of resistance to authority”. It then compares their understanding with the Church’s social teaching on the “right to resistance” and helps them identify its implications for engagement in the social sphere.

• The right to conscienctious objection. Sub-groups are given a handout detailing the right to conscientious objection, according to the Church’s social teaching. Then they’re asked to answer questions such as: "What are the conditions that allow citizens to disobey the prescriptions of civil authorities, according to the Church’s social teaching? How can we determine when a precept of a civil authority is contrary to a) moral order, b) the fundamental rights of persons and c) the teachings of the Gospel? What is the relationship between the right to conscientious objection and “disobedience”? What are the implications of disobedience to authority? [...]". The core issues are subsequently explored in a plenary discussion.

• Taking a position on nonviolence and just war. This activity uses a model to generate debate among participants, in order to explore the complex relationship between nonviolence and just war.

• Resist No One Who Is Evil? This activity builds on an article by the Biblical scholar, Walter Wink. First, participants are asked to meditate on and interpret a passage from Matthew’s Gospel (5:38-41). As facilitator, you should then develop a discussion based on participants’ reflections. Finally, you’ll need to introduce the content of Wink’s article.