PAIX ET GUERRE: LA THÈSE DE L’EGLISE ORTHODOXE RUSSE ET DE L’EGLISE CATHOLIQUE

Abstract

This article compares the official teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church on the themes of peace and war, particularly in light of recent geopolitical tensions such as the war in Ukraine. While both traditions share a fundamentally Christian understanding of peace rooted in Scripture and theology, their approaches diverge significantly when addressing the legitimacy and conduct of war. These differences help illuminate why political positions in Russia and the West may appear grounded in distinct conceptual worlds. The Russian Orthodox Church’s Bases of the Social Concept (2000) treats peace primarily in relation to war. War is acknowledged as an evil rooted in human sin and misuse of freedom, yet participation in armed conflict is considered sometimes inevitable to defend one’s neighbor or restore violated justice. The document admits the notion
of a “just war,” drawing on both Eastern and Western traditions, and emphasizes moral restraint, humanitarian conduct, and spiritual purity among combatants. Peace, ultimately a divine gift, is understood as an eschatological reality and an inner spiritual state that must radiate outward. The Church sees itself as a mediator and promoter of reconciliation on both national and international levels By contrast, the Catholic Church’s Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church offers a more extensive and systematic treatment of peace, giving it clear priority over war. Peace is described as an attribute of God, a messianic gift, and a fruit of justice and love. The Church stresses reconciliation, forgiveness, and prayer—especially liturgical prayer—as indispensable foundations of peace. While the Catholic tradition also acknowledges the right to self-defense under strict conditions, it views war as a failure of humanity and insists that in the atomic age violent solutions can scarcely be justified. Greater emphasis is placed on global institutions, human rights, disarmament, and the moral illegitimacy of terrorism. The divergence between the two documents is influenced by their different historical contexts and scopes: the Russian text addresses the needs of a local Church emerging from communist repression, whereas the Catholic text speaks universally to a global community. Both documents, however, contain ambiguities that may lead to misinterpretations—whether biblical justifications for “just war” in the Russian case or problematic conditions for the licit use of force in the Catholic one. Ultimately, the study argues that Christian teaching offers no place for war except defensive response, and insists that only love, forgiveness, and reconciliation can truly overcome evil and establish lasting peace.