Faith, Force, and the Quest for Peace

Prof. Joseph Capizzi presents the just war account within the Catholic tradition, arguing that the use of force in war can be a moral act of peacemaking grounded in pursuit of the common good, and emphasizing the importance of authority, intention, cause, proportionality, and distinction between guilt and innocence.

This lecture was given on April 11th, 2025, at The Ohio State University.

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About the Speakers:

Joseph E. Capizzi is Dean of Theology at the Catholic University of America. He teaches in the areas of social and political theology, with special interests in issues in peace and war, citizenship, political authority, and Augustinian theology. He has written, lectured, and published widely on just war theory, bioethics, the history of moral theology, and political liberalism.

Keywords: Anabaptism, Aristotelianism, Augustine of Hippo, Christian Pacifism, Common Good, Ethics of War, Francisco de Vitoria, Guilt and Innocence Distinction, Natural Law, Schleitheim Confession