Kosovo Bombing Is ‘Just,’ Mahony Says

In the first such statement from a high-ranking American Roman Catholic prelate, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said this past week that NATO bombing of Serbia and Kosovo qualifies as a “just war.” Mahony noted that the bombing began only after extensive diplomatic efforts had failed to bring an end to the killing and persecution by Serbs of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

“There were incredible negotiations and efforts to halt this. All the time Albanian Kosovan people were suffering greatly. There just seemed to be no other way to halt that continuing assault upon innocent people and that does nudge the conflict into the just war category,” Mahony said in an interview with National Public Radio.

Catholic Church doctrine holds that a war can be considered just if it meets several tests that include exhaustion of peaceful means, a proportionate use of force and a reasonable prospect that the fighting can achieve a justifiable end.

Vatican officials have called on both sides to find ways to halt the fighting but have not made a specific statement about whether the NATO attacks on Serbia could be considered just.