Catholicism And Drone Warfare
“We are witnessing a certain proliferation of this technology and a growing use of it in various
conflicts. The challenges are multiple and related to international humanitarian law, to human
rights, and to international law. The ethical implications are not insignificant. The choice of
indifference in relation to this question is counter-productive. The fact of not addressing
problems at the right moment can have disastrous consequences and make them almost insoluble,
as experience in other domains teaches us”
(Archbishop Silvano Tomasi raised the issue of the misuse of armed drones to the UN in Geneva)
We
live
in
an
age
where
technology
is
rapidly
advancing
all
around
us.
Often
it
is
hard
to
see
the
moral
repercussions
this
advancement
will
pose
until
it
is
too
late.
It
is
easy
to
get
behind
and
support
the
biggest
and
best
advances
while
forgetting
that
every
piece
of
technology
has
its
good
and
its
bad
effects.
Drones
were
sold
to
the
American
people
on
a
very
appealing
platter.
Ideas
like
saving
American
lives
my
remotely
taking
out
targets
with
no
need
for
men
on
the
ground,
has
signi?icantly
drove
down
the
risk
of
waging
a
war
on
terror.
The
secret
war
that
drones
wage
has
been
going
on
for
nearly
?ifteen
years
now,
and
many
Catholics
are
still
unaware
of
where
the
church
stands
on
the
use
of
such
war
machines.
We
Americans
can
often
fall
victim
to
the
idea
that
“Uncle
Sam
knows
best”.
As
Archbishop
Tomasi
reminds
us
in
his
2014
UN
speech;
“indifference
in
relation
to
this
question
is
counter-‐productive.”
We
Christians
are
held
to
the
command
to
“love
our
enemy”
and
“do
good
to
those
who
hate
us”.
In
the
modern
age
this
demands
that
we
be
in
constant
critique
of
what
our
government
is
supposedly
doing
on
our
behalf.
It
is
dif?icult
to
get
exact
data
on
drone
strikes
because
most
of
the
time
the
government
never
admits
that
a
drone
strike
ever
happened
in
the
?irst
place.
According
to
The
Bureau
of
Investigative
Journalism,
there
have
been
413
drone
strikes
in
Pakistan
alone
since
2004.
It
is
estimated
that
between
2,438-‐3,943
people
lost
their
lives
in
these
strikes.
Reports
also
estimate
that
416-‐959
of
those
killed
may
have
been
civilians
with
no
af?iliation
to
any
terror
group.
Due
to
the
fact
that
the
military
de?ines
all
men
of
military
age
killed
in
strikes
as
“militants,”
the
number
of
innocent
victims
may
actually
be
higher
than
reported.
Even
with
statistics
it
is
dif?icult
to
grasp
the
reality
of
drone
warfare.
As
Bishop
Richard
Pates
a
Chairmen
of
the
USCCB’s
Committee
on
International
Justice
and
Peace
states:
“There’s
something
about
the
detached
nature
of
a
drone
strike
that
feels
cleaner
than,
say,
unilaterally
invading
a
sovereign
nation.”
Catholics
who
believe
in
the
just
war
tradition
of
the
church,
should
be
against
the
use
of
drones
like
those
who
believe
in
the
Paci?ist
traditions
of
the
church.
According
to
the
just
war
doctrine
of
the
church,
an
act
of
war
like
a
drone
strike
must
fall
under
four
very
strict
conditions
to
be
considered
just
defense.
1.The
threat
of
the
enemy
must
be
imminent.
2.all
other
means
of
resolution
must
be
spent.
3.there
must
be
serious
prospects
of
success.
4.the
use
of
arms
must
not
produce
evil.
The
argument
can
be
made
that
our
current
policies
in
the
use
of
drone
warfare
does
not
?it
any
of
these
four
points
the
church
lays
out.
The
pentagon
currently
has
the
policy
that
drones
can
be
used
even
if
there
is
no
imminent
threat.
Often
drones
are
used
as
a
?irst
resort
and
many
attacks
are
launched
with
out
suf?iciently
identifying
the
target.
They
also
instill
a
fear
in
local
people
which
maybe
as
evil
as
the
terror
drones
are
supposed
to
be
combatting.
Is
it
be
a
surprise
that
a
church
that
teaches
against
war
and
the
death
penalty
is
against
a
tool
that
silently
executes
suspected
terrorist
targets
without
a
trial.
The
church
has
always
held
?irm
to
its
mission
of
hope
for
the
poorest
of
the
poor
and
its
pleas
for
the
most
basic
human
rights
for
all
people.
Current
technology
is
moving
to
develop
a
drone
that
is
fully
automated
and
takes
out
targets
without
a
human
pilot.
Technology
can
be
a
wonderful
thing
but
it
is
easy
to
abuse.
-‐By
Daniel
Schmidt