WASHINGTON, DC – Is the ongoing U.S. armed conflict with Iran just war as we know it in modern times, or a “just war” under the longstanding teachings of Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas? Catholic Theology Professor Joseph E. Capizzi, Ph.D., will address that and related questions this November in Chantilly, VA.
Dr. Capizzi, the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame University, will be a keynote speaker at the inaugural Catholic Military Conference, to be held Nov. 9-11, 2026, at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly. The conference is being organized and sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), under the theme “Living and Serving Justly.”
“The position of the Church,” Dr. Capizzi says, “is that the use of force, including lethal force, is bound by the moral law, and even when countries resort to the use of force in conflict, it’s not anything goes. In fact, both sides remain bound to the requirements of moral international law regarding the treatment of civilian populations, the treatment of prisoners of war and wounded soldiers, among others, and this has been spelled out for a long time in Western tradition.”
Dr. Capizzi, author of Politics, Justice, and War: Christian Governance and the Ethics of Warfare (Oxford University Press, 2015), explains: “War as an instrument of the use of force by government is meant to be only for causes that are just, in situations that are grave, where diplomacy has failed, and as a last resort.”
“Even when it’s resorted to, the use of force must be discriminatory or ‘distinct’–the principle of distinction is what it’s called in international law, which means it has to distinguish between legitimate targets and illegitimate targets. Civilian populations, civilian structures like schools, hospitals, desalinization plants and so on—they are not legitimately targeted. You must abide by this principle of distinction, and any uses of force must be proportional to the ends sought.”
Dr. Capizzi is one of numerous speakers set to appear at the three-day Catholic Military Conference. Others include Katie McGrady, host of the Katie McGrady Show on Sirius XM The Catholic Channel, who will serve as Emcee, and Lieutenant General John E. Wissler, USMC (Ret.). With a variety of keynote addresses and breakout sessions, participants will leave the conference better formed as disciples of Christ, more synodally connected to the AMS, and bonded by new friendships with fellow Catholic military families.
Registration is now open. Early Bird registration tickets are available to actively serving members of the military and their spouses for $350 and to military retirees, veterans, and civilians for $400. This is a $75 discount to general admission tickets. There is also a VIP ticket available which offers many special features including a private reception with Archbishop Broglio.
Register today at catholicmilitaryconference.org/.