Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Episode: Day 302: War (2025)
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)
Date: October 29, 2025
Readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2307–2317

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the Catholic Church’s teaching on war, specifically the circumstances under which war might be legitimate ("just war theory"). Fr. Mike explains the Church’s insistence on peace, the parameters for justified military defense, obligations of military personnel, and the moral boundaries during wartime. He also addresses topics like conscientious objection, the arms race, and the deep tension between patriotism and Christian discipleship. The tone is thoughtful, urgent, and pastoral, emphasizing both the seriousness of war and the call to be Christlike in all circumstances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: War and Peace in a Broken World

• Fr. Mike recalls previous episodes’ themes on peace and the dangers of anger and hatred.
• Raises the Christian dilemma: "What do we do in this broken world where there are people who do violence?" (02:00)
• Sets up today’s focus: Is there legitimate defense by military force? What are the Church’s obligations around war?

2. Just War Theory Explained

• Just War Theory, traced back to St. Augustine, provides criteria for legitimate military force by Christians. (03:00 – 04:40)
• Criteria for Legitimate Defense—All Must Be Met Simultaneously ([09:40]):
  1. Lasting, Grave, and Certain Damage:
     “It’s not kind of like well, they might attack, so let’s us attack them first. No, it has to be lasting, grave, and certain.” ([11:50])
  2. All Other Means Exhausted:
     “Our first choice is not war. It’s actually our last choice. It must never be the first option.” ([12:30])
  3. Serious Prospects of Success:
     “If there is not a reasonable and serious prospect of success, then you may not legitimately enter into this military conflict.” ([13:00])
  4. Proportionality:
     “The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.” ([13:45])
• "All these things have to be in place in order for there to be legitimate defense by military force." (14:10)

3. Soldiers: Duty, Honor, and the Common Good

• Emphasizes the positive contribution of soldiers who act honorably:
  "If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace." ([15:00])
• Distinguishes between killing in battle and murder:
  “If you are a Soldier and in battle, you had to kill someone and you carried out your duty honorably, that is not a sin that needs to be confessed.” ([16:15])
• Encourages healing for soldiers who may struggle with their actions, reminding them the sacrament of confession offers healing as well as forgiveness. (17:05)

4. Hate vs. Duty in Wartime

• Shares C.S. Lewis quote:
  “To fight against your neighbor is not the same thing as to hate your neighbor.” ([18:00])
  Fr. Mike paraphrases from Lewis’s Mere Christianity, emphasizing that Christian discipline requires love even as duty may require fighting.

5. Ethics in War—“All is NOT fair in love and war”

• “The mere fact that war has regrettably broken out does not mean that everything becomes licit between the warring parties.” ([20:45])
• Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be treated humanely; war crimes (including following illegal orders) are gravely sinful.
  • “Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out.”
• Specific condemnation:
  “Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man.” ([23:00])
• Special dangers of modern warfare: atomic, biological, and chemical weapons. (23:30)

6. Conscientious Objection and Service

• The Church supports equitable provisions for those who refuse to bear arms on grounds of conscience.
  “If someone says in good conscience, I cannot take up arms in this conflict... that’s legitimate.” ([24:40])
• Obligation remains to serve the community in other ways:
  “It’s not about you have to fight, it’s about you have to serve. That’s the key difference.” ([25:30])

7. Arms Race & Peacebuilding

• The arms race for deterrence is “seen as the most effective means of ensuring peace”—but the Catechism holds “strong moral reservations.” ([26:30])
• “Spending enormous sums to produce ever new types of weapons impedes efforts to aid needy populations. It thwarts the development of peoples…” ([27:00])
• “Everything done to overcome these disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding war.” ([28:00])

8. Challenge to Discipleship

• Fr. Mike notes: The Catholic vision of war and peace “is incredibly wise, but also...incredibly challenging. Challenging to our modern sentiments, challenging to our patriotic sentiments, but above all, challenging.” ([29:00])
• Reiterates the Christian vocation:
  “If you’re a soldier in battle, have the heart of Jesus as a soldier. If you’re a conscientious objector, have the heart of Jesus as a conscientious objector.” ([30:10])

Notable Quotes

• On the seriousness of war:

  “All war, even ‘just war’, there’s evils and injustices that accompany all war. So the Church insistently says, pray for peace and work—not only pray, pray and work for peace.” ([10:50])

• On killing in war vs. murder:

  “If you are a Soldier and in battle, you had to kill someone and you carried out your duty honorably, that is not a sin that needs to be confessed.” ([16:15])

• C.S. Lewis, paraphrased:

  “To fight against your neighbor is not the same thing as to hate your neighbor.” ([18:00])

• On war crimes and obedience:

  “Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out.” ([21:10])

• Moral condemnation of indiscriminate destruction:

  “Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation.” ([23:00])

• Service over fighting:

  “It’s not about you have to fight, it’s about you have to serve. That’s the key difference.” ([25:30])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 – Introduction and prayer
• 02:00 – “What do we do in a violent world?”
• 03:00 – Origins of just war theory
• 09:40 – 14:10 – The four criteria for just war
• 15:00 – The vocation and honor of soldiers
• 16:15 – Killing in war vs. killing as murder
• 18:00 – C.S. Lewis quotation on fighting vs. hating
• 20:45 – Moral law during conflict: What’s not allowed
• 23:00 – Condemnation of indiscriminate destruction
• 24:40 – Conscientious objectors and alternative service
• 26:30 – Problems with the arms race
• 29:00 – The Church’s challenging vision
• 30:10 – The universal call to have “the heart of Jesus”

Tone & Final Takeaways

Fr. Mike’s tone throughout is deeply pastoral—calling for discernment, humility, and striving for the peace that Christ offers. He reminds listeners regularly that the calling of Christians is to imitate Jesus, whether as soldiers, civilians, or conscientious objectors. The Catholic teaching on war upholds justice, the dignity of every person, and the necessity of seeking peace through love and service.

This summary is intended for listeners seeking a thorough, engaging recapitulation of the episode’s teachings, especially those who have not yet listened and wish to understand the Church’s perspective on war, peace, and the moral obligations entwined within both.