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TWENTY-FOUR
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
AUCWST 25, 1945
Former CL A Executive Secretaries
JAMES J. FARRELL
RICHARD REID, K. S. G.
Our Best Wishes
CLARENCE MOBLEY CONSTRUCTION CO.
GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Augusta, Georgia
When the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia was or
ganized the late James J. Farrell,
of Augusta, was chosen as its first
executive secretary and publicity
director. In the four short years
he was spared to the Association,
Mr. Farrell made its work known
from one end of the nation to the
other. His memory lives in the
minds and hearts of the members
of the Association and lie lives in
its work which his pioneering ef
forts made possible.
From 1920, until he resigned in
1929 to accept the editorship of
The Catholic News, of New
York, Richard Reid served as ex
ecutive secretary of the Catholic
Laymen’s Association of Georgia,
and as editor ol 1 its publication.
The Bulletin. He distinguished
himself in the work of the Asso
ciation so signally thal^he was
awarded the Laetare Medal in
1936 by Notre Dame University,
and in 1938 was made a Knight cf
St Gregory by Pope PiuS XL
Theologians Review Moral Aspects of
Using Atomic Power in Conduct of War
(Continued from page one)
knock the enemy out of the war is,
therefore, just and moral insofar
as the war itself is just and moral.
Now most people and all Catho
lics agree that war is a just and
moral means of defense against
anv aggressor nation.”
- The Rev. Francis J. Connell.
C.SS.R., associate professor of
moral theology at the Catholic
University of America, comment
ing informally, began by saying
that, "at present it is impossible to
pass a precise judgment on the
morality of the atomic bomb, since
cur military authorities have
given us only meager information
about the effectiveness of this ter
rible instrument of destruction
and of the way in which they in
tend to use it.
“However,” he continued, "from
the account of the havoc which it
is capable of effecting there are
grave reasons to fear that it lends
itself to methods of warfare con
trary to the law of God. Two mor
al principles relative to the* wag
ing of war must be emphasized,
and Hits is an appropriate occa
sion to bring them to the atten
tion of ail decent people, both
Catholic and non-Catholic.
“The first is that it is never
permitted in war to attack di
rectly the non-combatants of the
enemy nation, consequently, if the
bomb were employed for a direct
attack on a residential section of
a Japanese city—a section in
which there are no important mil
itary objeclives — its use would
be a flagrant violation of the law
of God. This principle would hold
even if it were foreseen that as
result of such an attack on the
civilian population the morale of
the people would be broken and
the war brought to a speedier
close. A good end does not justify
the use of an immoral means.
“Secondly, even in the suppo
sition that the bomb were employ
ed directly only against a strictly
military objective, such as a mu
nition factory or an airfield, it
would be against the law of God
to use it if the harm done coinci
dentally to the civilian population
were out of proportion to the
beneUls consequent on the de
struction of the military objec
tive. For example, if the bomb
were aimed at the munitions fac
tory but it could be reasonably
anticipated that five or six thou
sand eiv''ians would be killed in
their homes in the vicinity as a
result of the stupendous power of
*the bomb. Its use would again be
unlawful according to the funda
mental moral principles.
“Briefly, the lawful use of the
atomic bomb is limited to the case
when it is used directly only
against a military objective (which
includes troops as well as war
plants, air fields, etc.) and it can
be reasonably anticipated that the
accompanying harm done to non-
combatants in the vicinity is nol
out of proportion to the good ef
fected by the direct attack on the
military objective.
“It is well for the American
people to realize now when this
stupendous weapon is put in their
hands, that we have certain defi
nite moral obligations toward the
Japanese people in the conduct of
the war,” Father Connell said.
“Whatever wrongs may have been
done by their leaders or by some
of their soldiers, we may nol
transgress God’s law in return.
The Japanese people are human
beings with certain inalienable
lights. They are the children of
God, and . ;cording to Christian
principles (which most of the
American people are supposed to
accept), they have been redeemed
by Jesus Christ and are capable
of meriting the Kingdom of Heav
en. It is to be hoped that our lead
ers will be guided by God’s law'
in their use of the atomic bomb
if they decide to employ it.”
Views paralleling those of Fa
ther Connell were expressed by
the Rev. Joseph A. Vaughan, S.
J.. chairman of the Deparment of
Ethics, Loyola University of Los
Angeles. “If our military leaders,”
he said, “sanctioned or intended
the use of the atomic bomb for
other objectives than purely- mili
tary objectives, the act, according
to ethical principles, must be
deemed immoral. The terrorizing
of civilians or the breaking down
of civilian morale by such de
structive means may not be con
sidered a legitimate and moral
military objective.
“Even granting that our mili
tary leaders intended the destruc
tion of military objectives only,
still the act remains immoral, for
the principle of the double effect
does not justify such bombings,
because the evil effects conse
quent upon the use, of the atomic
bomb are completely out of pro
portion to the good effect, namely,
the destruction of legitimate, rec
ognized military objectives.
“The mere opinion or even the
fact that the atomic bomb would
bring the war to a quicker close
and save countless lives does not
justify the use of this immoral
means, because a good end never
justifies the use of evil means,”
Father Vaughan concluded.
NATION’S HIGHEST AWARD
GOES TO SON OF COLONEL
DECORATED IN TWO WARS
HARTFORD, Conn. — Capt. Mi
chael J. Daly, 20-year-old com
ma. .der of Company A, 15th Infan
try, has been awarded the Con
gressional Medal of Honor for her
oism in the ttle of Nuernberg,
Germany. He left the U. S. Mili
tary Academy at West Point .be
cause of deficiency in mathematics
and was inducted into the Army as
a •private. He won his commis
sion in the field, and besides the
nation’s highest awarj for heroism,
he also holds the Silver Star with
two Clusters.
Capt. Daly is tho son of Col. and
Mrs. Paul G. Daty, of South'pprt,
His father, commander pf. the
398th Infantry of the .,100th Divi
sion, is in Ilolleran General Ho St
pital under treatment for vvpund.;.
Colonel Daly was decorated with
the Distinguished Service , Cross
and the Croix de Guerre in World'
War 1 and with the Legion of
Merit for service at Guadalcanal
in World War II.
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