Church and war

In an essay on the “authority of the church in temporal matters,” de Lubac writes, “Since the supernatural is not separated from nature, and the spiritual is always mixed wtih the temporal, the Chuch has eminent authority – always in proportion to the spiritual element present – over everything, without having to step out of her role. If this is not true, then we might as well admit that the Church has no authority over anything, that she can speak only in the abstract. She must limit herself to outlining absolute principles, to proclaiming doctrine and ethics from ‘above the fray.’ When circumstances require it, she must be able to make decisions – that is, either approve or condemn, hic et nunc – about concrete activities where doctrine and morality are involved.”