Several blogs (1, 2, 3) have been somewhat taken aback by some recent words of the Pope, going so far as to complain that the Pope is uttering error. Yet I do not think this is so. The words that have caused this occurred during an interview with the Pope, when he was asked a question relating to the current Middle East situation:

Question: Holy Father, a question about the situation regarding foreign politics. Hopes for peace in the Middle East have been dwindling over the past weeks: What do you see as the Holy See’s role in relationship to the present situation? What positive influences can you have on the situation, on developments in the Middle East?

Pope Benedict XVI: Of course we have no political influence and we don’t want any political power. But we do want to appeal to all Christians and to all those who feel touched by the words of the Holy See, to help mobilize all the forces that recognize how war is the worst solution for all sides. It brings no good to anyone, not even to the apparent victors. We understand this very well in Europe, after the two world wars. Everyone needs peace. There’s a strong Christian community in Lebanon, there are Christians among the Arabs, there are Christians in Israel. Christians throughout the world are committed to helping these countries that are dear to all of us. There are moral forces at work that are ready to help people understand how the only solution is for all of us to live together. These are the forces we want to mobilize: it’s up to politicians to find a way to let this happen as soon as possible and, especially, to make it last.

Misunderstanding two components of the Pope's reply may have led to the reaction; the first being: "war is the worst solution for all sides". But that part is not surprising because Catholic teaching (e.g. the Catechism, 2309) is that war must always be a matter of last resort — in which case it logically follows that it must be the worst solution (thus also being the only available solution, which is why it is always vital to work to open up other possible solutions).

The second component is: "it brings no good to anyone". That's actually a translation of the original German "er bringt für niemanden etwas", which is a bit vaguer in German that it is in English. Another translation could be: "it brings nothing for anyone". More idiomatically, and helpfully, perhaps: "It doesn't pay for anyone". War is the infliction of an evil — with the hope that it avoids the occurrence of a different greater evil. No one genuinely profits by it, and no positive good is produced by it. If an injustice is being inflicted on me, it is a good thing to remove that injustice — but that does not move me one inch closer to Heaven (which is the only measure of true positive good). It is surely along such obvious lines that the Pope was speaking.