In a world where we are so accustomed to open wars, preparation for war, and the threat of war for advancing political ambitions, the question arises are Catholics too comfortable with the status quo when it comes to the Military-Industrial Complex.   As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be peacemakers, which means we embrace the disarmament process.   In a recent address to the Meeting of Religious Groups for Peace held at the Roman Colosseum (cf. L’Osservatore Romano; 10-04-2021) Pope Francis said that “The arms trade and their use must be stopped.  We must push ahead with nuclear disarmament.  The proliferation of nuclear weapons is an incredible treat.  We must make peace.”

            And, then we have the policies of the U.S.A.  Two days after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, the House Armed Services Committee voted to not just maintain the current military spending levels, but to increase it by a whopping $22 billion. 

            Which begs the question.  Even though U.S. officials claim that we are winding down from “permanent wars,” are we spending money because we need to, even though our military budget is already higher than those of the next 11 countries combined.  Or are there other incentives at play?

            Ties between the government and the private sector—what President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously called the “military-industrial complex”—form the basis of our national defense.  Since 9/11, between one-third and one-half of the nearly $14 trillion the Pentagon has spent went to for-profit defense contractors.  The result is that decisions about whether to engage in military conflicts are shaped by people who have a vested interests in perpetuating these conflicts. 

            For the most part, the majority of Catholics support the perpetuation of the military-industrial complex, whereas we should be at front line striving to dismantle it or, at least, to seriously reduce its bloated impact on our national policies.  The Magisterium of the Catholic Church has been forthright in condemning the “savagery of war” and asks that we look at war and its preparation in a new way (cf. Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 77).  War is a scourge and is never an appropriate way to solve problems that arise between nations: “it has and never will be” an effective antidote to conflict.  Moreover, “Nothing is lost by peace; everything is lost by war” (Pope Pius XII, Prayer for Peace, 8-24-1939).

            Seeking alternative solutions for resolving international conflicts has taken on tremendous urgency today.  And, if  we are to move beyond the  precipice, we have to take steps to dismantle the military-industrial complex because if the only thing you have is a hammer, everything is going to look like a nail.

            The Church’s Social Doctrine proposes a general, balanced, and controlled disarmament” (St. John Paul II, Message for the 40^th Anniversary of the U.N. (19-14-1985).  Why?  The enormous increase in arms (the U.S. spends nearly $800 billion on the military budget every year) represents a grave threat to stability and peace.  While every country has the right to defend itself, that has to be balanced with sufficiency: that is, each State may possess only the means necessary for legitimate defense.  And, that applies to those countries who supply other nations with armaments (the biggest arms trader in the world is the U.S.).  “Any exsessive stockpiling or indiscriminate  trading in arms cannot be morally justified” (cf. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, The International Arms Trade, 5-01-1994).

            As disciples of the Prince of Peace, we should not settle for just blocking further increases in the military budget, but we should advocate that a significant portion of Pentagon spending be redirected to measures that will truly make the world safer—addressing climate change, preventing future pandemics, and reducing racial and economic injustice.

            When Eisenhower first cautioned the world about the influence of the military-industrial complex, he warned of “the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power.”

            The past two decades of war that funneled that disastrous rise.  As we wind down from foreign conflicts, our country has a choice: We can double down on the war-profit cycle—or we can cut it off, and give priorities to our citizens, our economy and our integrity on the global stage.

            Catholics should be at the forefront of promoting peace and not war or its preparation.  Indeed, “Peace is the goal of life in society, as it is made extraordinary clear in the messianic vision of peace: when all peoples will go up to the Lord’s house, and he will teach them his ways and they will walk along the ways of peace” (cf. Is 2:2-5). 

            As being baptized members of the mystical Body of Christ, we have no option than take the side of peace.  The promise of peace that runs through the entire Old Testament finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus, who is God among us.  He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility among people, reconciling them with God (cf. Eph 2:14-16).

            Disarmament, which is the necessary step towards forging a lasting peace can only begin with Jesus.  Indeed, the peace of Christ is the first place where reconciliation with the Father occurs.  And, this reconciliation is brought about by his disciples in our  political-economic-social conditions which moves us towards peace, not war preparation.    Peace is the reconciliation with one’s brothers and sisters, which can never be separated from proclaiming the Gospel (cf. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 491-492).

            People of God, we’re called to be peacemakers.  What say you?

-Deacon Jim McFadden

Fair Oaks, CA