A simple question here, with the caviat that I have not read all the posts here because I just don’t have the time to get to them all: Did the Catholic Church deem the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq a "Just War"? The issues surrounding this current conflict really boil down to Saddam’s not meeting the cease-fire terms of THAT conflict. He has had 12 years to comply. If war begins again in Iraq, it is simply picking up Desert Storm again. Same war, just with a 12 year break. So, please, can someone answer me this simple question: What was the Vatican’s opinion on whether Desert Storm 1991 was a "Just War"?
If the answer is no, then neither is this one. But if the answer is yes, than this one should be considered just as well. I am still feeling terribly torn about this looming conflict. I pray for peace, but also see the absolute need for Saddam’s complete disarmament. Didn’t the world learn it’s lesson of appeasement of tyrants in the 1930’s as the Nazis started to overrun Europe? By the time the Allies stepped in, Hitler was in a position of great power and was difficult to stope. Millions of people died, and some could argue that it could have been different if someone had just taken a stand against his forces earlier.
Christ was not one to sit idly by and allow injustice to occur. Just witness the cleansing of the temple of moneychangers and merchants. There are times when it seems we have to take action, and not look the other way and pretend something is not happening. There are sins of commission, which some say going to war with Iraq would be, but there are also sins of omission, which I can’t help but wonder would be committed if the international community does not do what is necessary to disarm the evil of Saddam Hussein.