John Paul II once said:
"War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity... War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations... War cannot be decided upon...except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations."
This was in 2003 and addressed Iraq, but the words are timeless.
It was a great sin of the Nobel Committee that they held other issues against this man who clearly had been an international figure of peace against war. This was a man who was more instrumental to the fall of Communism than Ronald Reagan, the idol of misguided conservatives. Yet, even though his homeland was in Soviet chains, he always opposed the military option in vanquishing Communism and he denounced the nuclear arms race. (Note that the Holy Father was not an outright pacifist, but believed (as I do) that war is a last resort.)
I end with these prayerful words the pope delivered in 2003 at Christmas time:
Save us from the great evils which rend humanity
in these first years of the third millennium.
Save us from the wars and armed conflicts
which lay waste whole areas of the world,
from the scourge of terrorism
and from the many forms of violence
which assail the weak and the vulnerable.
Save us from discouragement
as we face the paths to peace,
difficult paths indeed, yet possible and therefore necessary;
paths which are always and everywhere urgent,
especially in the Land where You were born,
the Prince of Peace.
Update [2005-4-1 16:53:57 by Anthony de Jesus]:: What I want to do is find something where we can all agree to say that this man did some good. Harping on the same old criticisms seems a lot like kicking a man when he's down (and it's not really an attitude that is very attractive to Catholic swing voters).