Was Pope Francis a pacifist?
Between the rejecting of war and the complexity of moral response to violence
Je bil papež Frančišek pacifist?
Med zavračanjem vojne in zahtevnostjo moralnega odziva na nasilje

english

2025

volume 85, issue 4

just peace   just war   legitimate defense   pacifism   war in Ukraine

Univerza v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Throughout history, the Catholic Church has developed the concept of the “just war,” which authorizes the use of weapons to achieve just ends. In his encyclical “Pacem in Terris”, Pope John XXIII signalled a shift in the Church’s position—from advocating just war to promoting pacifism. The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” (1993) permits only “legitimate defense by military force” (CCC, 2308–2310) and no longer refers to “just war.” In the encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”, Pope Francis warns against an overly broad interpretation of “legitimate defense” and advocates the rejection of all forms of war. Like his predecessors, he calls on world leaders to end wars and establish a just peace worldwide. The only legitimate goal is the creation of a just peace. Nevertheless, the question arises as to whether pacifism is the only appropriate Christian response to concrete acts of violence. In certain extreme circumstances, when a country is attacked, might not the use of military force in defense of its people and territory be the appropriate moral response? The war in Ukraine has tested the consistency of the Francis’s teaching in practice. The author notes1 that, as in the resolution of ethical dilemmas in other areas, Francis—regarding the ethics of peace—upholds high ethical principles (the rejection of all forms of war), while in individual cases he seeks the greatest possible good for those concretely affected (legitimate defense against violence).

17.02.2026