History has given us some key messages.  “War is a “scourge” and is never an appropriate way to resolve problems that arise between nations, “it has never been and it will never be”, because it creates new and still more complicated conflicts.

When it erupts, war becomes an “unnecessary massacre”, an “adventure without return” that compromises humanity's present and threatens its future. The world has seen several wars, World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Rwandan genocide among others. There are also ongoing wars now such as wars in Iraq, Darfur and Somalia.

Many of us who followed these wars or read of their effects would know that having thousands of persons slaughtered, held against their will and forced out of their homes is not only physically traumatic to the landscape, but physically traumatic to individuals who may lose limbs and worst emotionally and mentally traumatic.

The future becomes unknown and difficult to manoeuvre and navigate.“Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war”. The damage caused by an armed conflict is not only material but also moral. In the end, war is “the failure of all true humanism”, “it is always a defeat for humanity”.

Now with all the advances in technology and nuclear weapons there is now a greater sense of urgency to prevent the start of wars. “In fact, ‘it is hardly possible to imagine that in an atomic era, war could be used as an instrument of justice’.”

“Seeking alternative solutions to war for resolving international conflicts has taken on tremendous urgency today, since ‘the terrifying power of the means of destruction — to which even medium and small-sized countries have access — and the ever closer links between the peoples of the whole world make it very difficult or practically impossible to limit the consequences of a conflict’.

It is therefore essential to seek out the causes underlying bellicose conflicts, especially those connected with structural situations of injustice, poverty and exploitation, which require intervention so that they may be removed.

‘For this reason, another name for peace is development. Just as there is a collective responsibility for avoiding war, so too there is a collective responsibility for promoting development’.”

The implication of this is that peace will not be promoted by us just sitting still and hoping for the best, but by us being active participants in ensuring that the communities and world we live in give all a fair and equal chance of fulfilling their purpose.

It means that we must ensure our laws are just, our trade policies are fair and do not place undue disadvantage on some, our education systems are accessible to all and we do not deliberately try to harm our neighbours.

Because the world now is a global village, what happens on one end of the globe affects the other end. The recent ongoing financial crisis has given us a live example.

It is important to be prudent in the decisions that we make – because the effects can be disastrous to not only us but to many others. This reiterates the need for regional and international organisations whose purpose is to safeguard the interests of the collective wholes that they represent.
 
“States do not always possess adequate means to provide effectively for their own defence, from this derives the need and importance of international and regional organisations, which should be in a position to work together to resolve conflicts and promote peace, re-establishing relationships of mutual trust that make recourse to war unthinkable.

‘There is reason to hope ... that by meeting and negotiating, men may come to discover better the bonds that unite them together, deriving from the human nature which they have in common; and that they may also come to discover that one of the most profound requirements of their common nature is this: that between them and their respective peoples it is not fear which should reign but love, a love which tends to express itself in a collaboration that is loyal, manifold in form and productive of many benefits’.”

Persons interested in purchasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church can contact the Justice Desk, Archbishop’s House at 622-6680. Also on sale at the Justice Desk are the Take a Bite Social Justice Programme on DVD and the Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching.