THE CATHOLIC JUST WAR TRADITION AND RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE
Journal: Sophia Human and Religious Studies Bulletin
Year: 2023

The Catholic just war tradition is rooted in the philosophy of Cicero and has been developed by subsequent philosophers and theologians up to the present day. A war can be just only if its purpose is to restore the peace. Applying the just war criteria to the Russian Federation's invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 yields the conclusion that it is an unjust war of aggression and that Ukraine is justified in defending itself militarily. Although Pope Francis appealed t