Clarity Amid Calamity: A Catholic Perspective on the Israel-Hamas War, by Philip Primeau

By Philip Primeau, Crisis Magazine, Oct. 13, 2023

Philip Primeau is a layman of the Diocese of Providence. His writing has appeared in Catholic World Report, Aleteia, Catholic Exchange, and Homiletic & Pastoral Review.

We must temper our passions, which are naturally aroused by the horrifying butchery perpetrated by Hamas and its allies. We must pursue clarity amid calamity, especially since the crisis is not at our doorstep.

“Weeping, she hath wept in the night…” —Lamentations 1:2

The State of Israel is now locked in a terrible struggle with Hamas. The rapidly unfolding war will prove brutal and bloody. In the coming weeks and months, leaders in Washington will formulate various policies with respect to the conflagration. American Catholics will have to judge whether these policies are prudent and morally sound. This article proposes a reasonable Catholic perspective on the conflict.

Preliminarily, we must temper our passions, which are naturally aroused by the horrifying butchery perpetrated by Hamas and its allies. Righteous anger is one thing; rash and disorienting rage is quite another. Americans should recall the many foreign and domestic missteps made in the wake of September 11. Discretion is most necessary when emotion pulls in a single direction. We must pursue clarity amid calamity, especially since the crisis is not at our doorstep. …

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