“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
My Comment on that prayer, which should be condemned with vigor:
I think that whoever helps write the pope’s homilies failed him in this case, not so much in the teaching but saying God does not hear the prayers of those who…Of course He does hear them, but may well condemn blasphemous prayers, like praying for abortion clinics and those who provide abortions and those who wage and unjust war that kills so many innocent civilians, euphemistically called “collateral damage.” The just war theory, and it is only a theory, does not seem to be applicable to this particular war and what Israel and the USA are doing now and what Israel did to Gaza. What they are doing to Lebanon is a crime, 1,000,000 innocent people there displaced.
The Church, meaning the pope and bishops make the determination about a "just war". None has been made in this case or what has happened in other parts of the world, like Ukraine, Gaza, etc.
2 comments:
I was puzzled by the "God does not hear" bit too. It's a reference to Isiah 1:15, which the Pope quoted at the end of the sentence, but English versions of that passage are normally more emphatic ("I will not hear" / "I refuse to listen"). So maybe it's the fault of the English translator.
Although Pope Leo may also have had Pete Hegseth’s blasphemous prayer in mind, he surely was not singling out Hegseth but addressing everyone who wages war driven by the collective ego of which they are a part and by whatever questionable motivations may additionally be driving their individual egos.
Even if war must sometimes be accepted as a necessary evil, provided the strict conditions of just war theory are satisfied, it nonetheless remains an evil, and realistically atrocities are invariably committed by each side (I speak as the son of an English father and a German mother who met just after the end of World War II and grew up listening to stories of the atrocities committed by both sides in that war).
Speaking prophetically, therefore, Pope Leo reminds everyone that God has provided, in the person of Jesus Christ on the Cross, His ultimate and final answer to all those who claim God is on their side in war. Isn’t it clear, then, that he is speaking to EVERYONE responsible for waging war—Americans, Iranians, Israelis, Hamas, Hezbollah, Russians, and, yes, Ukranians too (even if their own war waging might be just)—when he says “Christ, King of Peace, cries out again from his cross: God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!”?
And even though it is now somewhat dated and might recall, for certain readers, some unfavorable connotations, for many, however, Bob Dylan’s provocative protest song “With God on Our Side” is also prophetic and, despite some arguable quibbles, contains much challenging food for thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2FuDY6Q4M
Mark J.
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