Over the centuries churches have responded variously
to the defence and security arrangements of states, and have adopted
different positions on war and violence and to the state's monopoly
on the resort to the use of force in carrying out its responsibility
to provide security and maintain order. The ecumenical community is
not in agreement about whether Christians must reject absolutely the
use of violence as a means to resolve conflict, or whether, under
strict conditions and as a last resort, the use of violence may be
unavoidable and necessary.
However, a common and enduring thread in the mainstream
ecumenical movement has been a commitment to an agenda of demilitarization
- that is to say, broadly speaking, churches are committed to
the pursuit of peace and security with the least possible resort
to lethal military force, and with the least diversion of the world's
human and financial resources into armaments.
To what extent should the international community
maintain the capacity to intervene militarily to protect civilians
under extraordinary threat? In what circumstances, under what authority,
and using what methods, should the international community be prepared
to intervene to protect vulnerable populations? These are difficult
questions, but churches as advocates of non-violence and minimizing
the resort to force must be fully engaged in that public discussion.
In addition to our deliberations on intervention
issues, this area of our work also includes research and public
dialogue on Canadian defence policy issues and regional approaches
to security.
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