Numerous Church documents exist addressing those who serve in the Armed Forces and the military chaplaincy. We begin with John Paul II. As this library grows, other church documents will be included.

And so we begin……

• Understanding the Commandment "Thou Shall Not Kill" in light of the duty of self- and national defense
• Address of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Third International and Interdenominational Conference of Chief Military Chaplains of Europe and North America, 6 February 1992
• Message of John Paul II to The Military Chaplains, 24 March 2003
• Jubilee of the Armed Forces and Police: "Angelus”, 19 November 2000
• Jubilee of the Armed Forces and Police: Homily 19 November 2000

Dear Military Chaplains,

1. I am pleased to welcome the participants in the Third International and Interdenominational Conference of Chief Military Chaplains of Europe and North America. You represent many religious denominations and I greet you in the words of the Apostle Paul: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father".

I thank Archbishop Marra, Military Ordinary for Italy, for his kind words of presentation on your behalf. I greet the Military Personnel who are present with you, including General Domenico Corcione, Chief of Staff for Defence, and the other Chiefs of Staff of the Italian Armed Forces.

Our meeting gives me consolation and hope because I have always considered pastoral work among the military as a very important field. Your Conference, meeting for the third time, after a promising beginning at Stuttgart and a second meeting at Lübbecke, gives me the opportunity to express once more my lively appreciation of the valuable pastoral work in which you are engaged among military personnel and their families. Glancing at the list of twenty-three nations represented at this Conference, I note with pleasure how the presence of military chaplains is spreading to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

2. In the Christian world there has always been a notable tradition of pastoral care to military personnel. The Catholic Church's respect and concern for those involved in military service is clearly expressed in the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution "Gaudium et Spes". There we read: "Those... who are dedicated to the service of their country and are members of armed forces should regard themselves as ministering to the security and freedom of their peoples, and while they are performing this duty in the right manner they are genuinely contributing to the establishment of peace".

The Apostolic Constitution "Spirituali Militum Curae" of 21 April 1986, which governs the Church's activities in this field, likens Military Ordinariates to particular Churches or Dioceses, and compares the spiritual assistance which chaplains provide in barracks, camps, military schools and academies to that given in parishes.

To your pastoral care are entrusted large numbers of young people and also regular servicemen and women called to serve their countries as guardians of their sovereignty and, where necessary, of the international order and of peace itself. As chaplains, you are aware of the role of the word of God in forming people's consciences and hearts, and in leading them to thoughts of peace and the correct use of freedom. In the fertile soil of freedom of conscience you must sow abundantly, so that also in the military sphere individuals will act in a way which reflects deep reverence for God and, consequently, unfailing respect for the dignity and rights of other persons.

The present moment of history presents a special challenge to military chaplains. Before you lies the task of educating others in human and spiritual values, and of helping them to place ethics above technology, moderation above passion, a sense of justice and brotherhood above hatred and oppression. A highly-qualified group like yours, by bringing together different cultures and experiences, will not fail to provide an indication of the best methods for building a true civilization of peace.

3. There is another point I wish to make. Peace is a precious and fragile gift which God entrusts to man, to his conscience and to his reason. For you, two equally necessary duties derive from this. The first is the duty to work through the formation of consciences in order to foster an authentic desire for peace. The second duty is to pray constantly for peace, that God will grant this gift to the people of our times. On innumerable occasions I have prayed publicly for peace and appealed for prayers for peace, most recently during the Gulf War and the conflict in Yugoslavia. "With God nothing will be impossible". When human efforts seem doomed to failure, the power of God's Spirit can work deep within people's hearts, to quench hatred and kindle love.

Peace can at times appear unattainable, but we are called to aspire to it at all times, trusting in God's promises. Pray, therefore, because by doing so you will render the greatest service to the people entrusted to your pastoral care, the people who are in the front line when peaceful coexistence collapses and war breaks out.

4. Dear Chaplains, both in war and in peace may you be always and only pastors of souls. Be close to those entrusted to you. Help them with your prayer and exhort them to carry out with generosity the task assigned to them, which is to ensure, if necessary by the sacrifice of their lives, that others will enjoy security and peace.

With these sentiments I invoke upon all of you the blessings of Almighty God. I would invite you to stand and join me in the prayer that Jesus himself taught us: "Pater Noster".

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Dear Military Chaplains,

1. I am pleased to extend to you my greeting on the occasion of the course of formation in humanitarian law, organized jointly by the Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

I desire to express my pleasure at the care these two Vatican offices have taken for some time to prepare this session in accord with the commitment made by the Holy See during the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (1999).

Moreover, I also wish to thank the qualified experts who have generously contributed their outstanding expertise for the success of the course.

Almost all the Military Ordinariates have sent their representatives to your course: this proves the value of the initiative that is meant to be a clear sign of the importance that the Holy See attaches to humanitarian law as a protection of the dignity of the human person even in the tragic context of war.

2. It is precisely when armed conflict erupts that the need for regulations to curb the brutality of the warfare becomes urgent.

Down the centuries, the consciousness of this urgent need has gradually led to the formation of a real juridical corpus, defined as "international humanitarian law". This body of law has been developed thanks to the maturation of principles inherent in the Christian message.

As I have had the opportunity to say in the past to the members of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Christianity "offers this development a basis in its affirmation of man's autonomous value and pre-eminent dignity as a person with his own individuality, complete in his essential constitution, and endowed with rational consciousness and freedom of will. In past centuries too, the Christian view of man inspired the tendency to mitigate the traditional ferocity of war, so as to ensure more humane treatment for those involved in the hostilities. It made a decisive contribution to the affirmation, both morally and in practice, of the rules of humaneness and justice that are now, in duly modernized and specified form, the nucleus of our present-day international conventions" (18 May 1982; ORE, 14 June 1982, p. 12).

3. Military chaplains, inspired by Christ's love, are called by their special vocation to witness that even in the midst of the harshest combats, it is always possible, and only right, to respect the dignity of the military adversary, the dignity of civilian victims, the indelible dignity of every human being involved in armed conflict. In this way, moreover, the reconciliation is fostered that will be necessary for re-establishing peace when the war is over.

Inter arma caritas (charity under arms) was the significant password of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the early days, an eloquent symbol of the Christian motivation that inspired the Genevan, Henri Dunant, who founded this admirable organization, whose motivation should never be forgotten.

As Catholic military chaplains, in addition to carrying out your specific religious ministry, you must not fail to make your contribution to giving military staff an appropriate education in the values that motivate humanitarian law and make it not merely a juridical code, but first and foremost an ethical code.

4. Your course is taking place at a difficult moment in history, when the world once again is hearing the clash of arms. The thought of the victims and the destruction and suffering caused by armed conflict brings ever-deeper anxiety and great sorrow.

By now, it should be clear to all that the use of war as a means of resolving disputes between States was rejected, even before the UN Charter, by the consciences of the majority of humanity, except in the case of legitimate defence against an aggressor. The vast contemporary movement in favour of peace - which, according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, is more than "the simple absence of war" (Gaudium et spes, n. 78) - demonstrates this conviction of people of every continent and culture.

In this context, the influence of the different religions in sustaining the quest for peace is a reason for comfort and hope. In our view of faith, peace, even if it is the fruit of political agreements and understanding between individuals and peoples, is the gift of God, whom we should insistently invoke with prayer and penance. Without conversion of heart there is no peace! Peace can only be achieved through love!

Right now we are all asked to work and pray so that war may disappear from the horizon of humanity.

With these hopes, I formulate my best wishes that the course of formation may be profitable to you, dear chaplains, to whom I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing which I gladly extend to the organizers, lecturers and other collaborators.

From the Vatican, 24 March 2003.

JOHN PAUL II

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At the end of this Jubilee celebration, dear Members of the Armed Forces and the Police, my thoughts turn in particular to your relatives.

In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, an account is given of St Peter's visit to the centurion Cornelius, "a devout man who feared God with all his household" (Acts 10: 2). He accepted the proclamation of Christ's Gospel by Peter, to whom he gave hospitality for several days, and received Baptism together with his family members. Thus the first pagans to be baptized by Peter were members of a soldier's family. It is significant to remember this today, in the context of your Jubilee.

It is not easy to be a soldier's family, because even the hardships of his mission must be shared. Yet the family is the principal support of each one of you, committed to defending peace and life. One defends what one loves and where does one learn to love peace and life if not in the family? Therefore, dear families, feel fully involved in this mission and collaborate in safeguarding justice and peace.

2. On this day when you have come to make a Jubilee act with your families, I cordially greet you all, members of the armed forces and of the police of Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Canada, the Netherlands and Slovakia. May this important time be an opportunity for you to strengthen your mission in order to continue the important service you carry out, attentive to the needs of all your compatriots, to build an ever more peaceful and fraternal society! I hail your sense of responsibility, efforts and commitments, and pray with you for all who died or were injured while carrying out their activities. With my Apostolic Blessing!

I greet the English-speaking particpants in this Jubilee celebration for Members of the Armed Forces and Police, especially those from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Korea, Malawi, the Philippines and the United States of America. A particular greeting also goes to the representatives of the peace-keeping force in the Balkans, made up of military personnel from 38 countries.

The work and sacrifice of all of you help to ensure the peace and security of individuals and societies. I pray that you yourselves will always be kept safe as you fulfil your professional duties, and that the divine gifts of wisdom and strength will ever accompany you in the service of your own countries and of your fellow men and women. Upon you and your families, I invoke the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I extend a warm greeting to the German-speaking soldiers and police. Welcome to the Eternal City, soldiers and police from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Your work is in the front line at the service of security and peace. Carry out this duty with high responsibility and sensitivity! May God's Blessing accompany you on the way of peace.

I now extend a greeting to the soldiers and police forces of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Bolivia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama. I encourage you to collaborate generously in the honourable task of establishing peace, cooperation and coexistence among all peoples. May God bless you in your family and professional life so that you may give proof of adherence to Christ and his Church. Thank you very much.

I greet the soldiers and members of the forces of public security from Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal, imploring divine wisdom on your noble missions so that, despite the risk, you will be able to transmit peace and confidence to your close relatives and fellow citizens.

I cordially greet the representatives of the Polish army and police force present here. This Jubilee meeting with the soldiers of the whole world is an event that shows in a particular way how the army does not necessarily have to be the protagonist of the tragic events of war but can and must be the protector and messenger of peace. I pray that the difficult service of the army and the police for the protection of the security of people and nations may always be distinguished by deep sensitivity to suffering and to the needs of the weakest, and that it may be rewarded by the gratitude of societies and by God's blessing.

3. At this time of profound communion, enriched with the Jubilee grace, I would like to raise my prayer to the Lord for your many colleagues who have died in these years during various missions of peace and in the defence of law and order. May their sacrifice not have been in vain! May their hidden and silent witness be an encouragement to everyone not to be resigned to injustice, but to conquer evil with good! May God welcome them into his kingdom of peace and grant serenity and comfort to their families and to all their loved ones.

Let us entrust to the motherly intercession of Mary Most Holy our intense and prayerful invocation for the living and the dead.

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1. "Then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory" (Mk 13: 26).

On this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the liturgy speaks to us of Christ's second coming. The Lord will appear in clouds, clothed in power and glory. He is the same Son of man, merciful and compassionate, whom the disciples knew during his earthly journey. When the moment comes for his manifestation in glory, he will come to give human history its definitive fulfilment.

Through the symbolism of cosmological upheavals, the Evangelist Mark recalls that God will pronounce his last judgement on human events in the Son, putting an end to a universe corrupted by falsehood and torn by violence and injustice.

2. Who better than you, dear soldiers and members of the police, young men and women, can testify to the violence and to the disruptive forces of evil present in the world? You fight against them every day: indeed, you are called to defend the weak, to protect the honest, to foster the peaceful coexistence of peoples. The role of the sentinel, who scans the horizon to avert danger and promote justice and peace everywhere, befits each of you.

I greet you all with deep affection, dear brothers and sisters, who have come to Rome from many parts of the world to celebrate your special Jubilee. You are the representatives of the armies who have faced one another down through history. Today you are meeting at the tomb of the Apostle Peter to celebrate Christ "our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph 2: 14). You have come to offer to him, mysteriously and really present in the Eucharist, your resolutions and your daily commitment as peacemakers.

To each of you I express my deepest appreciation of your dedication and generous commitment. I first of all extend my greeting with fraternal esteem to Archbishop José Manuel Estepa Llaurens, who has expressed your common sentiments. My greeting is extended to the dear Archbishops and Military Ordinaries, whom I congratulate for the dedication with which they provide pastoral care for you. With them, I greet the military chaplains, who generously share in the ideals and efforts of your arduous daily activity. My respectful thoughts also turn to the officers of the armed forces, to those in command of the police forces and of the various security agencies, as well as to the civil authorities who have wished to share in the joy and grace of this solemn Jubilee celebration.

3. Your daily experience brings you face to face with difficult and sometimes dramatic situations, which jeopardize human security. However the Gospel comforts us, presenting the victorious figure of Christ, the judge of history. With his presence, he brightens the darkness and even man's despair, and offers those who trust in him the comforting certainty of his constant assistance.

In the Gospel just proclaimed we heard an important reference to the fig tree, whose branches, when their new leaves sprout, announce that springtime is near. With these words, Jesus encourages the Apostles not to give up before the difficulties and uncertainties of the present.

Rather, he urges them to know how to wait and to prepare themselves to welcome him when he comes. Today, dear brothers and sisters, you too are invited by the liturgy to "read the signs of the times", an expression coined by my venerable predecessor, Pope John XXIII, who was recently beatified.

However complex and difficult situations may be, do not lose trust. In the human heart, the seed of hope must never die. Indeed, always be attentive to discovering and encouraging every positive sign of personal and social renewal. Be prepared to further the courageous building of justice and peace with every possible means.

4. Peace is a fundamental right of every man and woman, which should be continuously promoted taking into account that "insofar as men are sinners, the threat of war hangs over them and will so continue until the coming of Christ" (Gaudium et spes, n. 78). At times this duty, as recent experience has also shown, involves concrete initiatives to disarm the aggressor. Here I wish to refer to the so-called "humanitarian interference", which, after the failure of efforts by politics and the instruments of non-violent defence, is a last resort in order to stay the hand of the unjust aggressor.

Thank you, dear friends, for your courageous work of peacemaking in countries devastated by senseless wars. Thank you for the help you offer, heedless of risks, to people struck by natural disasters. How numerous are the humanitarian missions in which you have been involved in recent years! In carrying out your difficult duty, you frequently find yourselves exposed to dangers and demanding sacrifices. Ensure that all your interventions always cast light on your authentic vocation as "custodians of the security and freedom of your fellow-countrymen", who "are contributing to the maintenance of peace", according to the felicitous expression of the Second Vatican Council (Gaudium et spes, n. 79).

Be men and women of peace. And to be so to the full, welcome into your hearts Christ, the author and guarantor of true peace. He will enable you to exert that evangelical strength that overcomes the alluring temptations of violence. He will help you to put force at the service of the important values of life, of justice, of forgiveness and of freedom.

5. Here, I would like to offer a tribute to your many friends who have paid with their lives for fidelity to their mission. Forgetting themselves and despising danger, they rendered the community a priceless service. Today, during the Eucharistic celebration, we entrust them to the Lord with gratitude and admiration.

But where did they find the strength necessary to do their duty to the full, other than in total adherence to the professed ideals? Many of them believed in Christ, and his words illumined their existence and gave an exemplary value to their sacrifice. They made the Gospel their code of conduct. May the example of your colleagues, who in faithfully doing their duty reached the heights of heroism and, perhaps, of holiness, be an example to you.

Like them, you also look to Christ who also calls you "to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity". He calls you to be holy. And to be able to achieve your vocation, according to the Apostle Paul's well-known expression, "Take the whole armour of God.... Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith ... take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph 6: 13-17). Above all, "pray at all times" (Eph 6: 18).

May Mary, the Virgo Fidelis, support and help you in your difficult activity. May your hearts never be troubled: rather, be ready, watchful and firmly anchored to the promise of Jesus, who in today's Gospel has assured us of his help and protection: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mk 13: 31).

In invoking Christ, may you continue to carry out your duty generously. Countless people look to you and trust in you in the hope of being able to enjoy a life of serenity, order and peace.

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