Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from September 17, 2006
"Peter
took him aside and began to rebuke him." Mark 8:33
PETER, THE FIRST POPE, MADE A MISTAKE. Popes can make mistakes. Yet, Peter's reaction is understandable. He was shocked by the idea of Jesus being tortured and subjected to capital punishment. He did not take easily to the thought of Jesus taking up his cross. Peter did not understand a messiah who would be a suffering servant, the Lamb of God led to the slaughter. During the arrest of Jesus, Peter took up the sword to defend his Lord. Jesus ordered him to put down the sword. "Those who live by the sword will perish by the sword."
The controversy about the Pope's recent quotation on Islam and violence prompts the larger question for all faiths: "Is religion a source of violence or an antidote to violence?"
For far too long the Roman Catholic ethical tradition on just war has been utilized as an easy blessing of warfare. In fact the just war tradition is based on an assumption against war, while providing very strict requirement for the use of force as a last resort. In the discussion on the ethics of war and peace that took place at the Vatican Council, non-violence was reintroduced as a legitimate stance for Roman Catholics. In recent decades the Popes have refused their blessing on modern wars.
In the recent invasion of Lebanon while some governments vacillated, Pope Benedict's Vatican called for withdrawal and an immediate cessation of hostilities. These statements were mainly found in the Catholic press and did not receive much attention. It was strange to me that our Catholic press soon thereafter presented a critique of the Pope's statement. We are not accustomed to such ready criticism on other official ethical judgments. While church teaching on war and peace allows for prudential judgment on particular conflicts, this should not be taken as permission to dismiss in a cavalier way the wisdom of our tradition.
The current debate on torture calls us to research our teachings. Pope John Paul has written; "It is never legitimate to resort to modes of detention and investigation--one thinks especially of torture--which are offensive to human dignity. The rule of law is the necessary condition for establishing true democracy." Reflecting on the cross he wrote; "The thought of Jesus being stripped, beaten, and derided until his final agony on the cross should prompt a Christian to protest against similar treatment of their fellow beings. Of their own accord, disciples of Christ will reject torture, which nothing can justify, which causes humiliation and suffering to the victim and degrades the tormentor." Ours is not a time to bend all rules and dismiss time-honored conditions on violence and war.
We may learn the techniques of non-violence in our schools, our relationships and families. Let's banish the jokes about the old days when sisters, brothers and priests incorporated physical punishment into their school discipline. Let us reject all the forms of abuse at home that our forebears may have tolerated. We can establish order and disciple by providing firm, consistent limits. We can resolve conflicts through conversation, negotiation and dialogue. As we learn these skills we may more readily apply them to society and find alternatives to the sword.
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."
I am appending research on teaching on torture.