Here is a short but thoughtful conversation on NPR's 'The Takeaway' radio program on the question of whether there is such a thing as a "just war"--a concept developed by Augustine in the 5th century.  Pope Francis recently stated, “The Church has, for 1,500 years, endorsed, embraced, and reinforced the ‘just war’ tradition, which I feel to be extraordinarily unfortunate.”

According to program guest Robert Meagher, professor of philosophy, theology and humanities and author of Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War, "Just war doctrine was never more than a theory and at its worst it was a lie, a deadly lie. It promised at least the possibility of war without sin, war without criminality, war without guilt or shame, war in which men and women would risk their lives but not their souls or their humanity. This theory has been tested for sixteen centuries, and has failed. It is time to declare its death, write its autopsy, reveal its deadly legacy, and point to a future beyond just war."