Just War Theory: The 1992 Catechism Of The Catholic Church

The Just War Theory of the Catholic Church The just war theory can be found in the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church (3). Here there are listed four strict conditions of making sure a war is legitimately moral in the eyes of the Catholic Church. These conditions include: making sure the aggressor’s actions have caused a significant amount of damage; any and all other means of stopping the war have proved ineffective; the prospect of the oppressor’s success is practical and great; and the use of weapons must not cause more damage or destruction to the oppressing nation than what was done by that nation to cause the war. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church expands this doctrine by adding the regulation that the state does everything in its power "to ensure that the conditions of peace exist, not only within their own territory but throughout the world (6).” Wars should only be fought in self-defense and to stop those that seek to destroy; a war should never be waged with the intention to seek power or dominance over the oppressing party.

The criteria are now known as the Just War Theory. This theory uses two sets of criteria, the first establishing jus ad bellum, which means “the right to go to war” and jus in Bello, which referrers to the “right conduct within