Many of us think of armies as defenders of nations. We associate them with wars, ammunition, rebellions and coups. To many of us their role is simply to prevent one group from wrongfully attacking another, defending us from attackers, and keeping us in order when natural and manmade disasters strike. We do not necessarily see them as promoters of peace, and having a key role in promoting human dignity.
 
The Catholic Church tells us that “the requirements of legitimate defence justify the existence in States of armed forces, the activity of which should be at the service of peace. Those who defend the security and freedom of a country, in such a spirit, make an authentic contribution to peace. 

Everyone who serves in the armed forces is concretely called to defend good, truth and justice in the world. Many are those who, in such circumstances, have sacrificed their lives for these values and in defence of innocent lives. Very significant in this regard is the increasing number of military personnel serving in multinational forces on humanitarian or peace-keeping missions promoted by the United Nations.”

These persons seek to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace through not only strictly military tasks, but also through the implementation of lasting peace agreements via a wide variety of complex tasks, from helping to build sustainable institutions of governance, to human rights monitoring, to security sector reform, to the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants. 

Pope John Paul II in 2003 in his address to Military Chaplains highlighted the military’s role in promoting humanitarian law as a protection of the dignity of the human person even in the tragic context of war. He reminded them that it was precisely when armed conflict erupted that the need for regulations to curb the brutality of the warfare became urgent.

It provided a unique opportunity to witness in the midst of the most ferocious combats that it is always possible, and only right, to respect the dignity of the military adversary, the dignity of civilian victims, the indelible dignity of every human being involved in armed conflict.  This Pope John Paul II says is the way the reconciliation is fostered that will be necessary for re-establishing peace when the war is over.

This highlights the need for the Church to ensure that military staff are appropriately educated in the values that motivate humanitarian law, and that the promotion of human dignity becomes an ethical code for the military. 

“Every member of the armed forces is morally obliged to resist orders that call for perpetrating crimes against the law of nations and the universal principles of this law. Military personnel remain fully responsible for the acts they commit in violation of the rights of individuals and peoples, or of the norms of international humanitarian law. Such acts cannot be justified by claiming obedience to the orders of superiors.”

 “Conscientious objectors who, out of principle, refuse military service in those cases where it is obligatory because their conscience rejects any kind of recourse to the use of force or because they are opposed to the participation in a particular conflict, must be open to accepting alternative forms of service. ‘It seems just that laws should make humane provision for the case of conscientious objectors who refuse to carry arms, provided they accept some other form of community service’.”

Persons interested in purchasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, should contact the Justice Desk, Archbishop’s House at 622-2691 or 290-1634/5.  Also on sale at the Justice Desk are the “Take a Bite” Social Justice Programme on DVD and Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching.