Dear Editor:
This week in our Beginning Apologetics study we conversed about the primacy of Peter as discussed in the sixteenth chapter of the gospel of St. Matthew. The question was, since Peter was given the authority to excommunicate in Mt. 16:19, is this an infallible act? Some in our group believe popes have sometimes used excommunication for political reasons in the past. Also, can an infallible doctrine be changed by a pope? This question came up in reference to what appears to be the Church’s evolving understanding of the “Just War.” In previous centuries, it seems the Church was more hawkish, allowing more latitude in what could constitute a moral reason for war. If you have any information on these thoughts and questions, I’d like to learn more.
Thank you, and may our Lord bless you for all you do in spreading the Good News of our Catholic Faith!
In Christ,
Deirdre
Dear Deirdre,
Peace in Christ!
Your question refers to three primary issues: excommunication, infallibility, and the just war doctrine.
Excommunication is an ecclesiastical censure whereby one is more or less excluded from communion with the faithful. It can happen automatically, by virtue of the commission of a particular act, or via a Church official who has the authority to impose such a penalty, e.g., a diocesan bishop.
Generally, speaking, according to Canon Law, if one incurs excommunication, he is forbidden:
1. to have any ministerial participation in celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice or in any other ceremonies whatsoever of public worship;
2. to celebrate the sacraments and sacramentals and to receive the sacraments;
3. to discharge any ecclesiastical offices, ministries or functions whatsoever, or to place acts of governance (Code of Canon Law, canon 1331§1).
The Church uses the penalty of excommunication both to protect the faithful from the sinful actions of a wayward Catholic and as a medicinal penalty to the wayward individual, letting him know the gravity of his actions. Note well from the above Canon Law citation that while an excommunicated Catholic may not receive the Eucharist and other sacraments, he is still expected to fulfill his Sunday obligation, unless otherwise noted. In the event of grave and obstinate public scandal, he may be barred from participating in Sunday Mass because his presence would be disruptive. In any event, the Church not only leaves the door open for repentant sinners, but also actively seeks them out like the Good Shepherd (cf. Mt. 18:10-14).
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As our FAITH FACT, Pillar and Bulwark of Truth: The Infallible Magisterium, states, “Infallibility is a charism whereby the Holy Spirit protects the Magisterium from teaching error on matters of faith and morals.” While the reasons behind an excommunication generally relate to faith and morals, the excommunication itself is a matter of ecclesial law, not faith.
Regarding “just war,” the Church teaches that war is not morally justifiable to punish an offense or to recover an object, but is justifiable only to repel injury or aggression (cf. New Catholic Encyclopedia, ©1967, Catholic University of America, vol. 14, p. 804).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is authoritative and provides an explanation of what constitutes a legitimate defense:
The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
• the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
• all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
• there must be serious prospects of success;
• the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the “just war” doctrine.
The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good (Catechism, no. 2309).
During his primacy, John Paul II has spoken for peace and the elements necessary to ensure the rights of people in ways other than warfare. Besides the Catechism paragraph, however, The Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes is the most recent Church document that actually promotes the doctrine of just war:
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 defense once every means of peaceful settlement has been exhausted. State authorities and others who share public responsibility have the duty to conduct such grave matters soberly and to protect the welfare of the people entrusted to their care. But it is one thing to undertake military action for the just defense of the people, and something else again to seek the subjugation of other nations. Nor, by the same token, does the mere fact that war has unhappily begun mean that all is fair between the warring parties. Those too who devote themselves to the military service of their country should regard themselves as the agents of security and freedom of peoples. As long as they fulfill this role properly, they are making a genuine contribution to the establishment of peace (Gaudium et Spes, no. 79).
Prior to Vatican II, Pius XII made it clear that Christianity does not equal passivity when it comes to unjust aggression:
A people threatened with an unjust aggression, or already its victim, may not remain passively indifferent, if it would think and act as befits a Christian. All the more does the solidarity of the family of nations forbid others to behave as mere spectators, in any attitude of apathetic neutrality. Who will ever measure the harm already caused in the past by such indifference to war of aggression, which is quite alien to the Christian instinct? How much more keenly has it brought any advantage in recompense? On the contrary, it has only reassured and encouraged the authors and fomenters of aggression, while it obliges the several peoples, left to themselves, to increase their armaments indefinitely . . . Among (the) goods (of humanity) some are of such importance for society, that it is perfectly lawful to defend them against unjust aggression. Their defense is even an obligation for the nations as a whole who have a duty not to abandon a nation that is attacked (Pius XII, “Christmas Message,” 1948).
For further information on the Church’s teaching on just war doctrine, you may wish to read The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response (U.S. Bishops, 1983). This document responds to the threat of nuclear war and includes a treatment of the Church’s teachings on just warfare. The Catechism also provides further Church guidelines on both conducting moral warfare and working to avoid war, including firmly opposing genocide and “. . .the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or visit areas with their inhabitants. . . .” (Catechism, nos. 2313-14 and 2310-17).
While the Church allows for war, she does indeed favor peace. The loss of life is a grave matter and should not be taken lightly. This is especially relevant given the power and devastating capabilities of military technology today. War should always be seen as the last resort.
For further information on the authority of the Pope, please see our FAITH FACT, No Bull: Papal Authority and Our Response.
I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Amy Barragree
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
