Just Peace

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Just peace is a model for peace ethics and peace policy in Christian ecumenism . The basic idea behind the model is that peace is more than the absence of violence .

The model of just peace is thus decisive for the “translation” of the message of peace to society and politics, which is central for Christian churches, and their own contributions to it. The model of just peace has not yet been systematically worked out as a “doctrine”, as the church fathers Aurelius Augustine (354–430) and Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) did in the doctrine of just war . It is a teaching in statu nascendi .

The model of just peace marks a fundamental change in peace ethics and peace policy (paradigm shift) away from the doctrine of just war and towards the prima ratio of the primary option for nonviolence: "If you want peace, prepare for peace" (Latin: si vis pacem para pacem). Today, the new norm provides guidance on how to transform direct, structural or cultural violence in conflicts over power and rule in a non-violent way. The decisive factor is no longer warlike violence according to the Roman motto: "If you want peace, prepare for war" (Latin: si vis pacem para bellum ), but a peace in law and justice that means more than just the absence of Violence. The model of just peace is historically and politically justified by the horrors of the world wars of the 20th century and the change in the image of war. Traditional wars between states are decreasing. Asymmetrical domestic and international conflicts have increased.

Dimensions of Just Peace

The mission statement tries to achieve the priority of non-violence for social groups and the state through the application of four guiding dimensions:
a) Avoidance of the use of force,
b) Promotion of freedom to live in dignity through justice and the granting of personal choices,
c) Promotion of cultural diversity in the coexistence of cultures and ways of life,
d) Reduction of need through more fair access and distribution.
In the sense of the prima ratio, the prevention of violence has clear priority over interventions, be they civil or military (and be motivated by humanitarian reasons). For its part, civil conflict management generally takes precedence over military measures of all kinds. Christians and churches orientate the dimensions of just peace towards specific, normatively justified nonviolent initiatives when it comes to social or political principles or political advice in the critical political fields. Examples to be mentioned in the debate about “security” are the concept of “ human security ”, the recognition of human rights , the demands for climate justice , disarmament and arms exports as well as the use of the military. If in a borderline case for the last reason ( ultima ratio ), z. B. in the case of the most serious human rights violations and genocide , although the use of military force is unavoidable, this may (only) be done to preserve law (law-preserving force). Only for this can the criteria of the just war theory be used and then only as test criteria.

Ecumenical process on the model of just peace

The model of just peace is the result of an intense ecumenical debate. For the first time, the concept of a just peace was ecumenically discussed in the “Commission for a Just and Lasting Peace” in 1941 in the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in the USA in the perspective of an international peace order after the end of the Second World War . The 15th General Synod of the United Church of Christ in the USA (United Church of Christ) declared itself in 1985 to be a "Church of just peace" and "in contrast to the institution of war". She defined just peace as “the interaction of friendship, justice and general security from violence”. Even before the change in the East-West relationship, the Ecumenical Assembly Dresden - Magdeburg - Dresden in 1989 demanded a “just peace” as a “doctrine” and as a contrast to the “just war”: “With the necessary overcoming of the institution of war comes also the doctrine of just war, through which the churches hoped to humanize war, to an end. Therefore, a doctrine of just peace must be developed now that is at the same time theologically justified and open to dialogue related to general human values. Working out this in dialogue with people of different beliefs is a long-term ecumenical task of the churches. "

The founding assembly of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam stated as early as 1948: “According to God's will, war should not be.” A major impetus for the development of the motto in the Protestant and Orthodox area was given by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the VI. The conciliar process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation began in 1983 in Vancouver. The debate continued at subsequent WCC assemblies in Canberra (1981) and Harare (1998). The second half of the Decade to Overcome Violence (2000 to 2010), which was proclaimed in Harare and opened in Berlin and Potsdam at the meeting of the central committee of the WCC in 2000, was devoted to the model of just peace from the plenary assembly in Porto Alegre (2006) . At the end of the decade, the WCC invited to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in May 2011 with a “call for just peace” in Kingston / Jamaica. Just peace will also be the defining content of the WCC's tenth assembly in 2013 in Busan / South Korea.

The Roman Catholic Church developed the idea of ​​just peace in its theology, in particular in the encyclical "On Peace on Earth" (Latin: "Pacem in terris", 1963) Pope John XXIII. and in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). The German bishops continued their reflections on the relationship between justice and peace in “Justice creates peace” (1983) in the pastoral word “Just Peace” (2000): “The motto of just peace emphasizes the deep and inalienable connection between justice and peace, which biblical tradition bears witness ”(n. 63). “However, justice means more than equality of distribution and equal opportunities. Very early on, the human legal community extended beyond the individual polities and states, above all through international treaties. [...] The idea of ​​transnational self-commitment has also strongly influenced modern thinking. If you combine them with the idea of ​​the world common good, then the demand for an international legal order arises with structures that make it possible to enforce law. This conception has long been anchored in Catholic social teaching and is part of their peace-thinking. Pope Benedict XV demanded as early as 1917 that the force of arms should be replaced by the force of law ”(No. 64). “In the Bible, the words Shalom and Eirene are often much richer than our word 'peace'. They are the epitome of the life given by God without war and violence, in freedom and justice and truth. Let the people of God embody this divine peace ”(No. 163). “Peace has to be supported by as many people as possible, by their motivation and their firm will to resolve conflicts non-violently. This applies in the personal environment as well as in politics. The view of overarching structures must not distract from the fact that it is always people who decide and act ”(No. 193).

The contribution of the Orthodox Churches to just peace comes mainly from the resolutions of the III. Preconciliar Panorthodox Conference in Chambésy / Geneva (1986) to express peace and justice. In it the Orthodox Church encourages everything "that really serves peace (Romans 14:19) and paves the way for justice, brotherhood, true freedom and mutual love among all children of the one Heavenly Father and between all peoples". “Orthodoxy generally condemns war, which it considers to be a consequence of evil and sin in the world. ... It has endured wars only as a concession and only to restore the trampled justice and freedom. ”The final document of an inter-orthodox conference in Leros (2009), held in preparation for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (2011) in Kingston / Jamaica, reflects this Orthodox theological understanding of just peace: “Because peace is constitutive of the gospel, Christian believers are embroiled in an ongoing process of becoming aware of their responsibility to use the message of peace and justice in the world as a sign of their unity with Christ To embody. "The Russian Orthodox Church judges:" Despite the recognition of war as evil, the Church does not forbid its children to take part in combat operations as long as their tick is the defense of the neighbor and the restoration of injured justice. "

The worldwide Anglican community regards the war as a last resort and ultima ratio. The (Anglican) Church of England , under the influence of the Second World War (1939-1945), adheres to the doctrine of just war (just war) and the traditional criteria for the right to war (Latin: ius ad bellum) and in war (Latin : ius in bello), but as a rule rejects the use of the criteria for both military use of force. That is why she refused the participation of Great Britain in the second Iraq war (2003). Instead, the doctrine of just war should be further developed in such a way that it can be applied to military operations for humanitarian operations.

From the area of ​​the free churches , the Mennonites have their position in the declaration of the Association of German Mennonite Congregations for Just Peace "Put our feet on the path of peace" (2009) and the Methodist Church in Germany through its central conference in the peace word peace needs Justice (2005).

Criticism and discussion

Basically pacifist-minded people inside and outside of churches reject for themselves and their churches any use of military force as theologically and thus ethically not justifiable, but through their social and political action they actively contribute to avoiding military intervention. In this practice, fundamental pacifists meet with those who advocate just peace.

Michael Haspel accuses the Protestant churches that the model of just peace failed in the case of the wars in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of peace ethics. The test criteria for the use of military force, taken from the doctrine of just war, were received incorrectly. Haspel criticizes the fact that the EKD did not go into the just and limited war theory in the Anglo-American area (including Michael Walzer ).

Ulrich HJ Körtner believes that the blurring of the boundaries between wars and other forms of violence leads back to the doctrine of just war, because their original intention was to ethically limit and contain military violence. Körtner confronts the EKD with “a considerable disagreement” about the fact that “a contemporary peace ethic cannot in fact do without a just war doctrine.” Because the EKD adopts the criteria of the just war doctrine with a different intention, it becomes the just war doctrine "Including the doctrine of ius ad bellum in fact not completely rejected, but reinterpreted." However, this is not admitted out of internal church considerations of "internal church peace ethics basic positions".

Horst Scheffler demands that wars should be rated as crimes according to the standard of an ethic of just peace. How can peace and law be given a power to assert itself against arbitrariness, terror, genocide and other crimes against humanity, when the use of the military as a war effort is to be excluded because war is not conquered with war, i.e. crimes not with crime can be? According to Scheffler, the ethics of just peace requires the development of martial law and international law (humanitarian law) to international police law and the resulting conversion of armed forces into corresponding international police forces. The aim is to prevent criminals from carrying out the crimes, arrest them and bring them to justice. The use of this international police force is based on the principle of proportionality, weighing of interests and verifiability under the rule of law. International police forces are to be developed and equipped as de-escalation forces.

It is controversial whether, in the case of serious systematic violations of human rights and crimes against humanity in the sense of just peace, it can be legitimate to use military force when all nonviolent means have failed. The debate is part of the discussion about the emerging international law norm of the international community's responsibility to protect in the event that a state is unwilling or unable to prevent or end the most serious human rights violations against its population ( Responsibility to Protect , R2P). The responsibility to protect consists of the responsibility for prevention, the responsibility for responding (only in the event of failure of prevention) and the responsibility for reconstruction. Prevention has clear priority. The WCC Porto Alegre assembly (2006) endorsed such a responsibility to protect people at risk. The so-called Historical Peace Churches speak out against this.

literature

  • Ines-Jacqueline Werkner : Just Peace. The ongoing dilemma of military violence , transcript, Bielefeld 2018, ISBN 978-3-8376-4074-8 .
  • Konrad Raiser , Ulrich Schmitthenner (Ed.): Just Peace. An ecumenical call to just peace. Accompanying document from the World Council of Churches . Lit, Münster, 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11559-1
  • Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference (ed.): Gerechter Friede ( Die Deutsche Bischöfe series , Vol. 66). DBK, Bonn 2000.
  • Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany: Live from God's peace - ensure just peace. Memorandum of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany . Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2007, ISBN 978-3-579-02387-8 .
  • Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (ed.): A just peace is possible - argumentation aid for peace work , Düsseldorf 2005.
  • Ecumenical Central / Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany (ed.): Gerechter Friede. Handout for the discussion status . without year.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Huber: “Return to the Doctrine of Just War? Current Developments in the Protestant Peace Ethics ”, in: Zeitschrift für Evangelische Ethik 49 (2005), pp. 113–130.
  2. ↑ Cf. Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Living from God's Peace - Providing for Just Peace, Memorandum of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Gütersloh, 2007, ISBN 978-3-579-02387-8 , pp. 53 ff.
  3. ^ Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (ed.), A just peace is possible - argumentation aid for peace work, Düsseldorf 2005, p. 24 ff
  4. ↑ Konrad Raiser, Ulrich Schmitthenner (ed.), Just Peace. An ecumenical call to just peace. Accompanying document from the World Council of Churches. With appendix, Münster, 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11559-1 , p. 24
  5. Jump up ↑ Evangelical Church in Germany - Church Office (ed.), Ecumenical Assembly for Justice, Peace and Preservation of Creation Dresden-Magdeburg-Dresden, EKD-Texte 38, 1991, p. 32, paragraph 36
  6. ↑ Konrad Raiser, Ulrich Schmitthenner (ed.), Just Peace. An ecumenical call to just peace. Accompanying document from the World Council of Churches. With appendix, Münster, 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11559-1
  7. ^ Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference (ed.), Die Deutschen Bischöfe. Just Peace, Bonn, 2000
  8. ↑ Ecumenical Central / Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany (ed.), Gerechter Friede - Guide to the discussion status, Frankfurt / Main, no year, p. 22
  9. ↑ http://www.gewaltueberektiven.org/fileadmin/dov/files/iepc/expert_consultations/090921_InterOrthodoxPrepConsLerosFinalStatement.pdf , No. 18
  10. ↑ Josef Thesing, Rudolf Uertz (ed.), Social Doctrine - Russian-Orthodox, Sankt Augustin 2001, p. 63
  11. ↑ "" Just War "yes or no?", Lectures at a conference of the EKD and the Church of England on the Christian ethics of peace from 28.-31. August 2003 in the Evangelische Sozialakademie Friedewald, epd documentation No. 41 from October 6, 2003, see in particular the presentation by Nigel Biggar
  12. ↑ “Put our feet on the path of peace”. Declaration of the Association of German Mennonite Congregations for a Just Peace , accessed on April 18, 2019.
  13. ↑ Michael Haspel, Just Peace and the Protection of Human Rights - Overview and critical remarks on the discussion of peace ethics in the Evangelical Church, in: epd documentation "Just War - yes or no?", No. 41 of October 6, 2003; the same, Peace Ethics and Humanitarian Intervention. The Kosovo War as a Challenge to Protestant Peace Ethics, Neukirchener, 2002
  14. ^ HJ Körtner, Flucht in die Rhetorik - Protestantism must develop an ethic of peace that does justice to today's wars, in: epd documentation No. 11/12 of March 20, 2007
  15. ↑ Ulrich HJ Körtner, Inconsistencies in the Concept of Just Peace, in: Zeitzeichen, May 2003, p. 14 ff.
  16. ↑ Konrad Raiser, Ulrich Schmitthenner (ed.), Just Peace. An ecumenical call to just peace. Accompanying document from the World Council of Churches. With appendix, Münster, 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11559-1 , p. 115 ff .; Horst Scheffler, The Doctrine of Just Peace - Peace Ethics in the Face of New Wars, in: epd documentation 44a / 2002 (October 21, 2002); the same, The Ethics of Just Peace and Overcoming War. Just peace as the goal of all politics, in: Gerhard Kümmel / Sabine Collmer (eds.): Soldat - Military-Politics-Society, Baden-Baden 2003, pp. 141–150, ISBN 3-8329-0381-X ; the same war is always a crime, Why Just Peace must be the goal of all politics in the future, in: Zeitzeichen, May 2003, p. 11ff
  17. ↑ Konrad Raiser, Ulrich Schmitthenner (ed.), Just Peace. An ecumenical call to just peace. Accompanying document from the World Council of Churches. With appendix, Münster, 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11559-1 , pp. 118 ff
  18. ↑ Klaus Wilkens (ed.), In your grace, God, transform the world. Porto Alegre 2006. Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Lembeck, 2007, ISBN 978-3-87476-512-1 , p. 340
  19. ↑ Jakob Fehr, The duty to deal with evil - A criticism of the “Responsibility to Protect” from the point of view of Church and Peace, in: epd documentation No. 26/2012 of June 26, 2012 “Just Peace - an unfinished business Task. On the Critique of the Protestant Peace Ethics ”, p. 32 ff