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Question Title Posted By Question Date
re Political question Gaby Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Question:

Regarding your answer to a previous question, what about candidates that support and aprove WAR... where thousands of innocent civilians (including children) and soldiers die?... isn't that condemnable and punishable too? after all there is a commandment that stablish we are not to murder.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Gaby:

Abortion is an objective evil in all cases. War is not. There is such a thing as justifiable war. In fact, there are instances where a nation has a moral obligation go to war when that is the only way to protect its citizens.

Killing in self-defense, for example, is not murder. Killing that comes with a justifiable war is not murder. Abortion is always an unjustifiable killing (murder).

The Church's admonitions about politics and abortion is only possible on issues of absolute certainty such as abortion. There are no gray areas, no exceptions, no special circumstances, no justifications, no maybes, no room for differing opinions, no if, ands, or buts about abortion.

We might have differing opinions about war or about which wars were justified and which we not, but there are NO opinions to be offered on the issue of abortion -- abortion is an objective moral evil and a moral evil that is far, far worse than the unintended killing of women and children in war. Abortion is the intended, deliberate, pre-meditated, cold blooded killing of a completely helpless baby.

Should the deliberate and intended killing of civilians as a target take place in war, that is called a "war crime". A war crime does not invalidate the justification of the war, but rather singles out the individual abuses of particular soldiers.

Besides, there are no candidates for President who "support and approve" war. Being willing to go to war when needed, or conducting war if necessary, is not the same thing as "supporting and approving" war, a phrase that implies "warmongering".

Nevertheless, the war issue is a matter of conscience, circumstances, opinion, and complicated set of factors. The Abortion issue is clear, matter-of-fact, absolute, and simple. There is no comparison.

If your conscience tells you to not vote for a person who will go to war, then don't, but then you will not be able to vote for anyone. ALL Presidents have and will go to war when needed. I doubt if there is a single President in history who has not ordered men into battle somewhere, certainly no President in more than 100 years as failed to order men into battle at one time or another. There is no such thing as a pacifist President.

Abortion, however, is not a matter of mere conscience, it is a absolute and objective moral evil.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


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