Does the Pope Believe in Just Wars?

null Dec. 21, 2023 4:33 pm ETPope Francis holds his weekly general audience in Vatican City, Dec. 20. Photo: Massimo Valicchia/Zuma PressDavid Rivkin Jr. and Peter Berkowitz’s “The Primitive Pacifism of Pope Francis’ Lecture to Israel” (op-ed, Dec. 14) is excellent, and I write that having presided over two criminal cases involving Yugoslavia and Rwanda. There is one aspect missing, however, concerning the principle of proportionality.That principle has to be examined not ex poste but ex ante. In other words, it has to be judged according to what the soldier could have understood about the situation before the action was taken, not according to the results or what the situation later turned out to be. The fog of war makes this principle very difficult to apply, and therefore it should be used to punish only obvious, gross negligence and intentional misbehavior.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Sponsored OffersMichaels: Chris

A person who loves writing, loves novels, and loves life.Seeking objective truth, hoping for world peace, and wishing for a world without wars.

Opinion Dec 22, 2023 Add to Reading List

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Dec. 21, 2023 4:33 pm ET

Pope Francis holds his weekly general audience in Vatican City, Dec. 20. Photo: Massimo Valicchia/Zuma Press

David Rivkin Jr. and Peter Berkowitz’s “The Primitive Pacifism of Pope Francis’ Lecture to Israel” (op-ed, Dec. 14) is excellent, and I write that having presided over two criminal cases involving Yugoslavia and Rwanda. There is one aspect missing, however, concerning the principle of proportionality.

That principle has to be examined not ex poste but ex ante. In other words, it has to be judged according to what the soldier could have understood about the situation before the action was taken, not according to the results or what the situation later turned out to be. The fog of war makes this principle very difficult to apply, and therefore it should be used to punish only obvious, gross negligence and intentional misbehavior.