Topic: Catholic responsibility in terms on the military

Date originally posted: March 26, 2002

Source of this posting: Moderator response to emailed question

Moderator who originally posted this source: B. Egan

Question: Does a US Navy Captain of a nuclear submarine have a responsibility as a Roman Catholic to request other duty, so that he would never have to order release of a nuclear weapon.  This question came up during a Lenten retreat and the opinions of the people were in conflict.  Thank you very much.

Answer: 

Interesting question! 

The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred...from conception until natural death.  People who are members of the Church are called to believe this and make decisions that promote the dignity of all of humanity.  This being said, a Roman Catholic should not put himself/herself in a position that would require the taking of another's life.  I would think it would be difficult for the captain of a nuclear submarine to refuse to be the one to release a nuclear weapon.  If he/she has accepted the position of captain, it would be assumed that he/she believes in the purpose of his/her mission.  Put simply, if a person has a moral objection to doing something, he/she should not be put in a position of having to do it.  It is not a question of whether or not he/she should be the one who pushes the button, but whether he/she should be the captain of a nuclear submarine in the first place.   

In the case of a military draft, where the person does not actively choose to enlist but rather is forced to do so by the law, a man can refuse to serve in combat and declare himself a conscientious objector.  I presume that the person in your question chose to be in the Navy and was not drafted as such.  I do not know the ins and outs of the military, so I don't know how likely it would be that the captain of a nuclear submarine could 1) make the request not to be the one who releases a nuclear weapon and 2) that that request would be honored.  Ideally people who are considering a life in the military would consider their moral beliefs before pursuing that career path.