(Church Life Journal) – I do not for one moment deny the importance of just war theory and its venerable tradition of thought, which continue to provide much guidance for Christians and others of good will. But just war theory may not be enough, if it lacks a fine-grained awareness of either new and emerging ways of resolving conflict or of the complex financial and political interests involved in decisions to go to war. For such reasons, Pope Leo XIV has called just war theory “outdated” (Magnifica Humanitas §§192-93). Warfare in the modern world is not often reducible to aggression and self-defense, and moral reflection needs to cultivate a new sensitivity towards what lies behind the violence of war. (Read More)