Contra Pope Leo in “Magnifica Humanitas,” Just War Theory Is Not Outdated - Providence
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Pope Leo's push to retire Just War Theory runs straight into a 1,600-year-old problem: if human nature doesn't change, neither does the need for moral rules about violence.
Just War TheoryNatural LawMoral RealismPolitical Theology
Theory Briefing
- Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas challenges Just War Theory, but critics argue the framework is inseparable from enduring human sinfulness.
- Just War Theory, rooted in Augustine and Aquinas, holds that war can be morally permissible when tyrants threaten the innocent — a condition unlikely to disappear.
- Retiring the doctrine risks leaving nations without a moral compass for legitimate defense, undermining centuries of international ethical architecture.