“Let us not call ‘defence’ a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good,” said the pontiff.
“Let us not call ‘defence’ a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good,” said the pontiff.
Defensive capabilities can serve as deterrence, and in that sense can actually ensure peace. He should know that much.
“blessed are the πραεῖς, for they shall inherit the earth”
πραεῖς = praeis = meek (closest English word. Not great imo) = Greek word that describes a person who has strength but restrains it. A strong man who yokes himself for the good of his community and for God. Someone capable of force, who is restrained by discipline against their own impulses.
Thanks for that! I wonder what other words could be substituted in
I’m pretty sure this is the original Greek word in the original text but English doesn’t have a good word for it
True, but you also do run into a “when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” problem, especially as investing in the military inevitably empowers people who absolutely would like a war to break out. Doubly so for countries with long histories of imperialism (cough cough France cough). It’s also not like Russia is a conventional military threat; if their performance in Ukraine is any indication present European militaries should be more than enough to wipe the floor with them. He’s also 100% true about military spending taking away funding from worthier causes, and while this isn’t caused by a lack of funds per se (if European countries wanted to they could always tax their ultra-rich) with rising austerity you do get a situation where money is being taken away from social welfare and put into the pockets of the defense industry. It’s not nearly that simple on either side, but there are plenty of valid reasons to oppose militarization. If European countries want to defend themselves they should give more money and weapons to Ukraine, or invest in renewables to cut down on Russian gas, or do any of the hundreds of things they could be doing before selling their souls to the military-industrial complex devil.