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the subversive forces bent on
their exploitation.
In addition, may we not
hope that violence will be
universally discredited as a
means of remedying human
ills, and that the spirit of love
“may overcome the barriers
that divide, cherish the bonds
of mutual charity, understand
others and pardon those who
have done them wrong”;
(Pacem in Terris, AJrtilce
171).
The Role Of
Conscience
The war in Vietnam
typifies the issues which
present and future
generations will be less willing
to leave entirely to the
normal political and
bureaucratic processes of
national decision-making. It is
not surprising that those who
are most critical, even
intemperate in their
discussion of war as an
instrument of national policy
or as a ready means to the
settling even of wrongs, are
among the young; the burden
of killing and dying falls
principally on them.
There is sometimes ground
for question as to whether
the attitudes of some toward
military duty do not spring
from cowardice. In this
problem, as in all crises which
test generosity and heroism,
cases of moral as well as
physical cowardice doubtless
occur. But a blanket charge
of this kind would be unfair
to those young people who
are clearly willing to suffer
social ostracism and even
prison terms because of their
opposition to a particular
war. One must conclude that
for many of our youthful
protesters, the motives spring
honestly from a principled
opposition to a given war as
pointless or immoral.
Nor can it be said that
such conscientious objection
to war, as war is waged in our
times, is entirely the result of
subjective considerations and
without reference to the
message of the Gospel and
the teaching of the Church;
quite the contrary, frequently
conscientious dissent reflects
the influence of the principles
which reform modem papal
teaching, the Pastoral
Constitution and a classical
tradition of moral doctrine in
the Church, including, in fact,
the norms for the moral
evaluation of a theoretically
just war.
The enthusiasm of many
young people for new
programs of service to fellow
humans in need may be proof
that some traditional forms
of patriotism are in process of
being supplemented by a new
spirit of dedication to
humanity and to the moral
prestige of one’s own nation.
This new spirit must be taken
seriously; it may not always
match the heroism of the
missionaries and the full
measure of the life of faith,
but it is not contradictory to
these and may open up new
forms of Christian apostoalte.
As witnesses to a spiritual
tradition which accepts
enlightened conscience, even
when honestly mistaken, as
the immediate arbiter of
moral decisions, we can only
feel reassured by this
evidence of individual
responsibility and the decline
of uncritical conformism to
patterns some of which
included strong moral
elements, to be sure, but also
included political, social,
cultural and like controls not
necessarily in conformity
with the mind and heart of
the Church.
If war is ever to be
outlawed, and replaced by
more humane and
enlightened institutions to
regulate conflicts among
nations, institutions rooted in
the notion of universal
common good, it will be
because the citizens of this
and other nations have
rejected the tenets of
exaggerated nationalism and
insisted on principles of
non-violent political and civic
action in both the domestic
and international spheres.
We therefore join with the
Council Fathers in praising
“those who renounce the
use of violence in the
vindication of their rights
and who resort to methods
of defense which are
otherwise available to
weaker parties, provided
that this can be done
without injury to the rights
and duties of others or of
the community itself”
(n.78).
It is in this light that we
seek to interpret and apply to
our own situation the advice
of the Vatican Council on the
treatment of conscientious
objectors. The Council
endorsed laws that:
“make humane provision
for the care of those who
for reasons of conscience
refuse to bear arms,
provided, however, that
they accept some other
form of service to the
human community”
(n.79).
The present laws of this
country, however, provide
only for those whose reasons
of conscience are grounded in
a total rejection of the use of
military force. This form of
conscientious objection
deserves the legal provision
made for it, but we consider
that the time has come to
urge that similar
consideration be given those
whose reasons of conscience
are more personal and
specific.
We therefore recommend a
modification of the Selective
Service Act making it
possible, although not easy,
for so-called selective
conscientious objectors to
refuse--without fear of
imprisonment or loss of
citizenship-to serve in wars
which they consider unjust or
in branches of service (e.g.,
the strategic nuclear
forces)which would subject
them to the performance of
actions contrary to deeply
held moral convictions about
indiscriminate killing. Some
other form of service to the
human community should be
required of those so
exempted.
Whether or not such
modifications in our laws are
in fact made, we continue to
hope that, in the
all-important issue of war and
peace, all men will follow
their consciences. We can do
no better than to recall, as
did the Vatican Council, “the
permanent binding force of
universal natural law and its
all embracing principles,” to
which “man’s conscience
itself gives ever more
emphatic voice.”
In calling so persistently in
this Pastoral for studies on
the application of sound
moral principles to new
dimensions of changes in the
problems of war and peace,
we are mindful of our own
responsibility to proclaim the
Gospel of peace and to teach
the precepts of both natural
and revealed divine law
concerning the establishing of
peace everywhere on earth (n.
79). We therefore make our
own the Council’s judgment
on “the deeper divine law
concerning the establishing of
peace everywhere on earth (n.
79). We therefore make our
own the Council’s judgment
on “the deeper causes of war,
“sins like envy, mistrust and
egoism. We echo the warning
given by Pope Paul at the
United Nations:
“Today as never before, in
an era marked by such
human progress, there is
need for an appeal to the
moral conscience of man.
For the danger comes not
from progress, nor from
science-on the contrary, if
properly utilized these
could resolve many of the
grave problems which beset
mankind. The real danger
comes from man himself,
who has at his disposal ever
more powerful
instruments, which can be
used as well for destruction
as for the loftiest
conquests.”
The hour has indeed
struck for “conversion,” for
personal transformation, for
interior renewal. We must
once again begin to think of
man in a new way, and of
human life with a new
appreciation of its worth, its
dignity and its call to
elevation to the level of the
life of God Himself. All this
requires that, with refreshed
purpose and deepened faith,
we follow the urging of St.
Paul that we “put on the new
man, which has been created
according to God in justice
and holiness of truth” (Eph.
4:23).
Conclusion
Christians believe God to
be the “source of life” (cf.
Jn. 5,26) and of love since
“love comes from God” (cf. 1
Jn. 4,7). “God is love” (1 Jn.
4,8) and man has been made
in His image and likeness
(Genesis 1,26). Thus, man is
most himself when he honors
life and lives by love. Then he
is most like to God.
The doctrine and defense
of life require a renewed
spirituality in the Church.
Such a spirituality will
re-affirm the sacred character
of married love through
which life is begun, the
dignity of the family within
which love brings life to
maturity, and the blessed
vision of peace in which life is
shared by men and nations in
a world community of love.
These themes, all of which
touch on life, we have
explored in terms of the
family, the commonwealth of
nations and some of the
anti-life forces which threaten
these.
In her defense of human
life the Church in our day
makes her own, as did Moses,
the words by which God
Himself reduces our
perplexities to a clear,
inescapable choice:
“I call heaven and earth to
witness against you this
day, that I have set before
you life and death . ..
therefore, choose life that
you and your descendants
may live . . .” (Deut.
30,19).
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