Catholic Military Conference Examines Just War Doctrine
Speakers at the Catholic Military Conference in Chantilly, Virginia, discussed the Church's teachings on when war can be justified.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Catholicism
A few hundred people, including active duty members and veterans, attended the Catholic Military Conference in Chantilly, Virginia, from November 9 to 11. The event was organized by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and featured talks and panels on just war doctrine and the duties of Catholic soldiers.
Why it matters
The conference addressed how Catholic teaching frames the moral limits of armed conflict for those who serve in the military. Speakers pointed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which sets out conditions under which war may be considered justified.
The conference drew a few hundred attendees over three days, November 9 to 11, at a venue in Chantilly, Virginia. Exact attendance figures and comparisons to earlier years were not reported.
The players
Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
The Catholic archdiocese that provides pastoral care to Catholics serving in the U.S. armed forces and their families.
Timothy Broglio
The Catholic archbishop who leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and has served as a leading voice on military chaplaincy.
James M. Dubik
A retired Army lieutenant general who holds a doctorate in philosophy and is a senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and a professor at Georgetown University.
The details
Speakers included Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Joseph E. Capizzi, Matthew Bunson, and military veterans. Talks drew on the Catechism's four conditions for a just war: a grave evil, a proportionate response, last resort after alternatives, and a realistic chance of success. Capizzi cited St. Augustine's letter to the Roman general Boniface.
Timeline
November 9-11: Catholic Military Conference held in Chantilly, Virginia.
Big Picture
The conference revisits the Catechism's four just war conditions, which the Church has used to evaluate armed conflict for centuries, and applies them to modern service members. Speakers contrasted this moral framework with realpolitik, which judges war by strategic rather than moral criteria.
Service members and their families who practice Catholicism can draw on the conference's guidance when weighing questions of conscience about military duty. The Catechism's criteria give a concrete framework for those moral decisions.
The takeaway
The Catechism's just war conditions offer a practical moral checklist: a grave evil, proportionality, last resort, and a realistic chance of success. Applying these tests is a way for Catholics to think through military questions before acting.
Further reading
For related coverage, see more on Catholicism in Virginia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by EWTN News.
