Archdiocese of Denver

The Questions below are from our soldiers and were originally posted at www.catholicmil.org.

What does the Catholic Church teach about women in the military?

I am interested in the military and want to know what the Church says...

Thank you for considering such a noble call.

A simple three-word answer to your question: "Joan of Arc."

Not only is it not against Church teaching for a woman to join the military -- but a woman can do so and become a great saint.

It may not always be prudent for a woman to join the military (if, for example, she has 5 children at home), but the same is true for a man. That is for each individual, man or woman, to prayerfully decide on a case by case basis.

So -- is it prudent? Is it what God is calling you to? Perhaps.
Is it wrong? No.

On the side -
I applaud you for keeping God in the picture as you discern what to do with your life. Often times the thing we really want to do, if it is noble, was put on our heart by God. But that is confirmed through conversations with God and with other people. He knows what will make you happiest/give you peace, and He is so faithful in leading us when we look to Him. Keep praying and I will pray for you too.

Jesus is THE Answer!

Chris Stefanick

I've killed an insurgent before, and probably will have to again when I go back. My girlfriend thinks I've disobeyed the commandment not to kill. Have I?

Reading the Old Testament for 5 minutes will show us that God's people, who made the 10 commandments the center of their lives, were not pacifists and were certainly not against taking a life during war.

The 5th commandment does not outlaw all killing. Hebrew actually has two separate words for killing. One refers to a "justified killing" and the other to "sinful killing" which we often call "murder".

A civil authority not only has the right but the grave obligation to order a just war (which always involves killing) when it is necessary for the protection of its people and the preservation of the common good (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church - [CCC] 2265). Jesus makes it clear that the state has this authority when he tells Pilate that he has "authority from above" (John 19:11) to order his death.

So long as he is not committing a gravely sinful act, such as carrying out orders that command genocide (CCC 2313), a soldier, sworn to serve his country does not sin while fulfilling his oath. Whether or not the taking of a life or a war is just in the first place is determined by the civil authority who is answerable to God, not the soldier (CCC 2309). (Tangent: In this case I believe we have a very just war.)

For your part, take the words of the Catechism to heart: "Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace" (CCC 2310).

Many canonized Catholic Saints served their countries as soldiers. Do your job in full freedom of conscience.

"No greater love has man than this, to lay down his life for his friends." ~ John 15:13 No greater love has a soldier than this - to put his life on the line defending the rest of us.

Thank you for your service.

Jesus is THE Answer!

Chris Stefanick

The distinction between killing in battle and murder is a poor relativism. You're merely aborting the life of a person from another country because your president told you that you should do so. That the church would condone this is sad. That Americans would do this makes me weep for the future of our nation.

There are three factors that need to be considered when judging the moral character of an action, the objective action itself (object), the intention (end), and the circumstances. If you only take the object into account, you can't distinguish between a married couple engaging in intercourse and rape! It is just as absurd to fail to see the difference between killing in the line of duty and breaking the 5th commandment. ("Thou shalt not murder.")

Claiming that the morality of an action depends in part on the circumstances and intent is a far cry from "relativism". Relativism doesn't judge actions in light of the objective criterion of object, end, and circumstances, but only in light of the subjective preference or sentiment of an individual. That is why, according to relativists the same action in the same circumstances done with the same intent can be "right for you" but "wrong for me". Relativists use phrases like, "Who are you to impose your morality on someone else!" - as if one could create his own "moral universe".

I would agree that the thought of killing and war at all makes me sad - but we don't judge an action based on feelings. I would imagine that a vast number of soldiers would agree with you that war is an objectively sad, if not tragic reality of life. But the notion that our soldiers somehow "sin" by firing a shot in war is as absurd as the opinion that I, as a father, would be sinning if I shot someone who was attacking my child with a knife (provided, of course, that it were the only option).

Jesus is THE Answer!

Chris Stefanick

Has a Saint ever killed someone in war?

Given the amount of saints who were soldiers, unless they all had terrible aim, I think it is safe to assume that some people were killed by Saints. Neither the Church nor Sacred Scripture has ever forbidden taking the life of another when necessary for self-defense, the defense of another, or in war - the "self-defense" of a nation. In fact, the Church has affirmed that sometimes there is a "grave duty" (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 2265) to do so. Thus it would be entirely fitting for a Saint to take the life of another on a battlefield in the line of military duty, which the Church has called a "sacred duty". Would any "canonizable" Saint have a murderous heart and enjoy killing as an end in itself? Certainly not. The motive of a saint is love (willing the good of another). In the words of G.K. Chesterton "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." He acts to defend. The taking of a life is a "side effect" (CCC 2263) of that action. While war is always a sign that some portion of humanity has failed, it can also be a sign that others have heroically risen to the challenge to put their lives on the [front] line in defense of all that is good and decent in the world. Such is an act fitting of saints and of soldiers.

Jesus is THE Answer!

Chris Stefanick