War always again

In the midst of falling back from the Russian invasion, a combat-scarred soldier in Georgia’s army asked a foreign correspondent, “Where are our friends?”

To say, “We have you in our prayers,” would not suffice. But Catholics, and others in the world who yearn for peace, wonder what to do in the face of Russia’s fierce response to Georgia’s attack on separatists in its South Ossetia region. Even after a cease-fire and agreement to withdraw, Russian troops appear to be settling in for an occupation. And Georgia has not been blameless.

The former Soviet republic of Georgia, a relatively democratic nation, was emboldened by its support from the U.S. and Europe. It thought it had the right to retake control of separatist South Ossetia, which has close ties with Russia, but did so rashly and violently.

Meanwhile Russia, newly confident with petrodollars and a resurgent international presence, saw an opportunity to defend an ally, contain Georgia and push back against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, which has tried to recruit Georgia.

As ever, people suffer and die because larger powers have declared that a larger cause – sovereignty, principle, alliance, balance of power – is worth the death and destruction of others. Obviously both sides overstepped. Georgia’s attack on its own region was followed by Russia’s assault.

Catholics should, at every step, call for diplomacy instead of war, police actions instead of attacks, halts to hostilities and rapid humanitarian relief. These may fall short of Christ’s call to love our enemy while also helping the victims of those enemies. That is our ideal, never truly tried on the international level as Christian peace activists often point out.

Always we must resist the urge to violence. Yes, it can feel futile. “Never again war,” Pope Paul VI demanded at the United Nations in 1965. Who has listened, who has heeded?

Still, we must declare the Gospel truth in contemporary situations no matter how sticky these are. As Leo Tolstoy, the Russian novelist, reiterated in his fiction, every war is made possible only by the individuals on all levels – from czar to soldier to civilian – who decide to make or support that war.

Given our invasion of Iraq, Americans appear hypocritical telling Russia not to attack or occupy a nation that does not pose an imminent threat. Yet American Catholics must assert the primacy of the Christian message. Indeed, all people of faith should invoke their own beliefs in support of peaceful measures even when patriotism or pragmatism pushes us in another direction.

Contrary to a common sentiment that we must leave our faith outside the door of public policy and diplomacy, grave situations require our deeply held religious beliefs. Only transcendent values can transcend human sin and weakness.

As the threat of war hangs over us until we are called to perfection, we will always need to pray and act against the use of killing and violence to resolve conflicts.

Pope Benedict XVI called for peace and urged all sides to “refrain, also in the name of the common Christian heritage, from further confrontations and violent retaliations that could degenerate into a wider conflict.”

The pope, as Stalin once observed, has no army. But to insist on the peace of Christ, he does have all of us.

 (08/28/08)