Just War theory is not so much a theory anymore; it is at least a non-infallible magisterial teaching as it is in the Catechism. Many Catholics support Just War theory, until a war actually occurs. Then they think and react like everyone else in their nation. Striking Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear bombs was intrinsically evil and gravely immoral as it was a direct attack on a mass population center, an attack on innocents not combatants. It was also very gravely immoral under the font of circumstances, as the harm done by radiation to survivors was exceedingly cruel.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the West reacted without thinking of the consequences. This invasion was certainly an unprovoked severe attack against innocents, and so it is intrinsically evil and gravely immoral. Ukraine then has a right to defend itself. But the decision of other nations to support Ukraine is not solely based on the above facts. Circumstances must also be considered.

A just war is always a war that has grave injustices on the side of the aggressor nation. If both sides behaved justly, there would be no war. But the requirements of just war theory are not limited to the assessment that the aggressor nation is in the wrong. There is also a traditional requirement that the war have a reasonable chance of success, and another requirement that fighting the war, as a war of national defense against an unjust invasion, does not do more harm than good.

In the case of Ukraine, it was a grave moral error for the leader of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, to fail to negotiate an agreement with Russia, avoiding the exceedingly grave harm to his nation from this war. Here is what Jesus says about war:

[Luke]
{14:31} Or, what king, advancing to engage in war against another king, would not first sit down and consider whether he may be able, with ten thousand, to meet one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
{14:32} If not, then while the other is still far away, sending a delegation, he would ask him for terms of peace.

This was used by the Lord as an analogy on being ready to do all that is needed in order to be His disciple. But it is clearly also a statement on negotiating to avoid the horrors of war.

Even if an agreement between Ukraine and Russia were oppressive, the EU and the US could have subsequently worked to lessen the harm of such an agreement. (Ukraine attempting to join NATO was an unnecessary provocation. The U.S. would not tolerate, for example, Mexico making a military pact with Russia.) Zelenskyy is an incompetent leader, but no one notices because he is well-spoken; he is an actor who can make good speeches but not good decisions for his nation.

Now that the war in Ukraine is underway, a further decision on whether other nations should support that war requires a consideration of the circumstances. Will this support give Ukraine a reasonable chance of success in the war? Or will this support prolong the war to no substantial benefit, doing even more harm as the weeks pass?

We are not justified in supporting Ukraine, in my opinion, because we are merely prolonging a war that Ukraine cannot win and this prolongation does much more harm than if the war were won by Russia more quickly. What is a “win” for Ukraine in this situation? If Russia is forced to withdraw, the nation of Ukraine has suffered incalculable harm: very many dead and injured civilians, millions of refugees who fled the nation, destruction to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and its economy. That is not a win. And the longer the war continues, the more damage the people suffer. What benefit outweighs this harm? Nothing substantial. The U.S. and the EU nations are prolonging a war, resulting in even more harm, not less harm. And there is no reasonable anticipation of a good consequence that would outweigh this vast harm.

Consider the nation of Belarus, which is closely allied with Russia. The agreement between the two nations is not too restrictive or oppressive to Belarus, and the two nations did not go to war. Ukraine should have followed the example of Belarus.

The continuation of the war in Ukraine is also harming the world agricultural system, resulting in a severe worldwide food crisis, which is already beginning. Taking actions against Russia, actions which harm the general population there, have no reasonable chance of ending the war, and so these actions are not justified. Innocents in Russia are harmed. Even if they are not directly targeted, so to speak, there is no benefit in the circumstances that outweighs the resulting harm, not only to them, but to the whole world. Russia and Belarus are the source of much of the world’s fertilizer, as well as of many agricultural products and energy products (oil, natural gas). The disruption to fertilizer, fuel, and food is set to gravely harm innocents in the U.S., the E.U., and most other nations. Food depends on fertilizer, natural gas is used to make Nitrogen fertilizer, and diesel fuel is used to power irrigation and other farm equipment.

If the war in Ukraine were avoided by negotiation, a vast amount of harm would have been avoided. I suppose that God is permitting this harm, in His wise providence, due to our many unrepentant sins. But we are still obligated to do what is good and avoid doing what is evil.

It is not intrinsically evil for Ukraine to defend itself against the gravely immoral invasion of that sovereign nation by Russia. But no act is moral unless all three fonts are good, including the font of circumstances.

The three fonts of morality are:
* “the deliberate choice of certain kinds of behaviour or specific acts”
* “the intention for which the choice is made”
* “the totality of the foreseeable consequences of that act for all persons concerned.” [Veritatis Splendor 79, 82]

The font of circumstances is the overall moral weight of the reasonably anticipated good and bad consequences of that act for all persons concerned. If the act is reasonably anticipated to do more harm in the consequences than good, the font of circumstances is bad and the act is not moral to choose in those circumstances, unless circumstances change.

What good results from prolonging the war by pouring more weapons and ammunition into Ukraine? The harm done is severe and well-known, as modern means of communication make the horrors of war readily apparent to all. I cannot agree with supporting the war in Ukraine. I do agree with supporting Ukraine — the nation and its people — but not with helping them fight a harmful war that has no chance of a better outcome by fighting longer.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.

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