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This Insights eNewsletter was sent to subscribers on September 19, 2014.

eNewsletter Subject: Our Spiritual Destiny and the Horror of War

It seems appropriate to write about war today. Pope Francis reminded us of the sheer indifference at the heart of war when he spoke last Saturday at an Italian cemetery: The Shadow of Cain Looms over History from 1914 to the Present.

Though war has often been waged among nominal Christians, it is never necessary between those who are truly Christian. That's not so clear, however, in every religion. In this week's On the News, Phil Lawler insists that The Islamic roots of terrorism must be addressed.

What must also be addressed is the absolute right which we tend to assign to our own nations and their world views. The recent vote concerning independence in Scotland has something to teach us about this, as I recently pointed out in City Gates: Scotland demonstrates the provisional nature of sovereignty.

Sadly, in the absence of genuine love on all sides, defensive wars are sometimes not only necessary but morally required. That's where the Catholic theory of Just War comes in. There are ample materials on this in our library. (Use our Advanced Search to search in the Library only for the exact phrase "just war".)...

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