The title "The Catholic Case Against War" stands out on a blue textured background.
Catholic leaders and thinkers have produced a wide variety of works on the morality of war over the centuries. From the time of Ambrose and Augustine, just war theory has stood as a commonplace Christian approach to the morality of armed conflict. Over the last several decades however, the Catholic Church has produced a powerful case against war. David Caroll Cochran’s The Catholic Case Against War: A Brief Guide offers an overview of this case, drawing together decades of Vatican documents and papal statements. The result is a well-constructed and distinctly Catholic argument against the morality of contemporary warfare.
John Sniegocki, author of Catholic Social Teaching and Economic Globalization, remarks that “The Catholic Case against War should be read by all Catholics and by anyone who is interested in the possibilities of a more just and peaceful world.” In a similar vein, Kenneth Butigan, author of Nonviolent Lives, comments that “David Carroll Cochran brilliantly succeeds in making the case against war that will speak, not only to specialists in the Catholic Church, but to people everywhere.”
Cochran’s accessible guide not only synthesizes contemporary Catholic statements against war, but puts this material into conversation with empirical scholarship on war and its prevention. He illustrates that the Catholic case against war is remarkably consistent with this body of scholarship.
The Catholic Case Against War was released on March 1, 2024. For more information, or to request a review copy, contact Steffi Marchman, shoffma7@nd.edu, 574-631-4905.