CNS covers Aussie bishops' opposition to preemptive war

Catholic News Service:

The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference said it did not believe the war in Iraq is justified and warned against participating in another pre-emptive strike with the United States.

While admitting that Australia's alliance with the U.S. is an "important element of Australia's international security arrangements," the bishops questioned whether the doctrine of pre-emption was consistent with Catholic teaching on just war.

The bishops stressed that war cannot be judged only by its consequences.They said Australians "would fail in our duty ... if we were again to take military action without our own thorough assessment of its morality and prospects, and without broad international approval."

"Obligations to an ally cannot include an obligation to engage in war that is not justified," the bishops said.

From what I've read, the possibility of a preemptive strike against Iran by the end of the current administration or during a Hillary Clinton administration is significant. I'm trying to keep track of what local bishop conferences are saying both about the legitimacy of the current war in Iraq and about the application of just war principles to the future of U.S. relations with Iran.

Related: Jeff Miller covers CNS's recent woeful coverage of Dutch dominican liturgical abuses.