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| Jan Sobieski of Poland and his victory over the Turks at the Siege of Vienna |
The murder of a French priest by ISIS adherents is a warning to not only the Catholic Church it is a warning to the West. The West must make the decision to destroy ISIS. That decision must be made by recognizing the fact that ISIS must be named as Islamicist terrorism and ISIS is evil. ISIS savagery has dictated the rules of engagement. Savagery must be met with savagery on the battlefield.
I have heard the arguments that we must be careful in how we define ISIS so as not to increase their membership. In spite of putting that specious line of reasoning into practice their attacks increase. They increase because ISIS does not care how they are perceived by their co-religionists or the West. ISIS recruits do not care how they are perceived by the West.
There are many reasons young men are attracted to ISIS. Sexual sadism and murder is one of the key reasons. The chance to fulfill their perverted fantasies is a key recruitment tool for ISIS. Religious belief is the rationalization to justify their perversions.
If we cannot recognize evil and define good then we are helpless in the face of the slaughter. We should recognize the virtue of our martyr's, but we should also recognize the virtue of our defenders.
More talk from Pope Francis on the Battle of Lepanto, the Siege of Malta, and the Just War Doctrine is also necessary to extol the virtue and necessity of defending against and destroying ISIS.
The key paragraph in the Just War Doctrine:
All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. Despite this admonition of the Church, it sometimes becomes necessary to use force to obtain the end of justice. This is the right, and the duty, of those who have responsibilities for others, such as civil leaders and police forces. While individuals may renounce all violence those who must preserve justice may not do so, though it should be the last resort, "once all peace efforts have failed." [Cf. Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 79, 4]
Just War Doctrine
All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. Despite this admonition of the Church, it sometimes becomes necessary to use force to obtain the end of justice. This is the right, and the duty, of those who have responsibilities for others, such as civil leaders and police forces. While individuals may renounce all violence those who must preserve justice may not do so, though it should be the last resort, "once all peace efforts have failed." [Cf. Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 79, 4]
As with all moral acts the use of force to obtain justice must comply with three conditions to be morally good. First, the act must be good in itself. The use of force to obtain justice is morally licit in itself. Second, it must be done with a good intention, which as noted earlier must be to correct vice, to restore justice or to restrain evil, and not to inflict evil for its own sake. Thirdly, it must be appropriate in the circumstances. An act which may otherwise be good and well motivated can be sinful by reason of imprudent judgment and execution.
In this regard Just War doctrine gives certain conditions for the legitimate exercise of force, all of which must be met:
1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
3. there must be serious prospects of success;
4. the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition" [CCC 2309].
