Pope Francis is making waves again; this time the unorthodox pontiff is begging for an end to all war . Last Sunday, during his weekly Angelus address in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on World War I as its 100th anniversary approached. Pope Francis set aside the formal Catholic “Just War Doctrine” and begged for peace.
“Please stop!” Pope Francis begged as raw emotion cracked his normally steadfast voice, “I ask you with all my heart, it’s time to stop. Stop, please!”
Huffington Post reported :
“Francis cited current warfare between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as in Iraq and in Ukraine. He told pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square Sunday that he was thinking of children — killed, maimed or orphaned by war — who ‘for toys, have the debris of war.’”
In a bold proclamation, Pope Francis declared, “Brothers and sisters, never war, never war! Everything is lost with war, nothing is lost with peace. Never more war.” Pope Francis’ decree of “never war” does not fall in line with the Catholic Church’s sentiment on war. The Catholic Church, in the past, believed that some wars are just and righteous.
The Catholic Church has what is called the “Just War Doctrine.” The term was coined by Saint Augustine of Hippo. Saint Augustine Hippo, according to Think Progress , “outlined a form of justifiable violence in his seminal work, ‘City of God.’” In 1993, the Catholic Church even put the “Just War Doctrine” into codification within Catechism of the Catholic Church. There was even a National Catholic War Council . Despite the Catholic Church’s established doctrine on war, Pope Francis appears to insist on following the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Catholic News reported that Pope Francis insisted, “Let’s remember that everything is lost with war and nothing is lost with peace.” [Photo via YouTube ]
