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“I’d say that we cannot ignore, in the great Christian tradition and in a world marked by sin, any evil aggression that threatens to destroy not only many values, many people, but the image of humanity itself. In this case, defending oneself and others is a duty. Let’s say for example that a father who sees his family attacked is duty-bound to defend them in every way possible — even if that means using proportional violence.” Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict, November 2001).

“2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing.
“The act of self-defense can have a double effect:
the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of 1737
the aggressor.…. The one is intended, the other is not.” 65
2264
“Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of 2196
morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own
right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder
even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow” (Catholic Catechism)

Non-Catholics need to consider Cardinal Ratzinger as a serious theologian, well-versed in the writings of the early Christian Church. The Roman Catholic catechism can be considered from the same perspective. The Bible wasn’t written in English and the original languages have changed since the Bible was written. The early Church fathers were closer to Biblical times. English language has evolved since the King James Bible, as well. Theology matters to understanding the meaning of the Bible. Theological assumptions matter in life. From a non-Roman Catholic vantage: “The Wesleyan Quadrilateral explicates the Methodist belief of prima scriptura. This method bases its teaching on four sources as the basis of theological and doctrinal development. These four sources are chiefly scripture, along with tradition, reason, and Christian experience.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesleyan_Quadrilateral

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement of Feb. 26, 2003:
“The bishops’ president, Wilton Gregory, said on Feb. 26 that the bishops have not changed their minds since they spoke out against war last November. “To permit preemptive or preventive uses of military force to overthrow threatening or hostile regimes would create deeply troubling moral and legal precedents. Based on the facts that are known, it is difficult to justify resort to war against Iraq.” See more denominational statements here: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2003/03/19/publicationpage-aspxid616/

Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
“Interview with Vatican Radio. November 2001:
“Q: Is there any such thing as a “just war”? Cardinal Ratzinger:
This is a major issue of concern. In the preparation of the Catechism, there were two problems: the death penalty and just war theory were the most debated. The debate has taken on new urgency given the response of the Americans.

Or, another example: Poland, which defended itself against Hitler. 


I’d say that we cannot ignore, in the great Christian tradition and in a world marked by sin, any evil aggression that threatens to destroy not only many values, many people, but the image of humanity itself.


In this case, defending oneself and others is a duty. Let’s say for example that a father who sees his family attacked is duty-bound to defend them in every way possible — even if that means using proportional violence.


Thus, the just war problem is defined according to these parameters: 

1) Everything must be conscientiously considered, and every alternative explored if there is even just one possibility to save human life and values; 

2) Only the most necessary means of defense should be used and human rights must always be respected; in such a war the enemy must be respected as a human being and all fundamental rights must be respected. 

I think that the Christian tradition on this point has provided answers that must be updated on the basis of new methods of destruction and of new dangers. For example, there may be no way for a population to defend itself from an atomic bomb. So, these must be updated. 

But I’d say that we cannot totally exclude the need, the moral need, to suitably defend people and values against unjust aggressors.…”


“Cardinal Ratzinger Says Unilateral Attack on Iraq Not Justified – Gives Personal Opinion; Favors Decision from U.N.” Zenit News Service. Sept. 22, 2002.
“Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger does not believe that a unilateral military attack by the United States against Iraq would be morally justifiable, under the current circumstances…
(…)

The “concept of a ‘preventive war’ does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” Cardinal Ratzinger noted. 


“One cannot simply say that the catechism does not legitimize the war,” he continued. “But it is true that the catechism has developed a doctrine that, on one hand, does not exclude the fact that there are values and peoples that must be defended in some circumstances; on the other hand, it offers a very precise doctrine on the limits of these possibilities.”

(…)
https://web.archive.org/web/20220630040623/http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/justwar/index.html

Read this and much more at this web site, which offers information re the “just war tradition”: http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/justwar/index.html

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION (Excerpts)
“Legitimate defense
2263
The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing.
“The act of self-defense can have a double effect:
the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of 1737
the aggressor.…. The one is intended, the other is not. “65

2264
Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of 2196
morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own
right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder
even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:

If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence,
it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with modera-
tion, his defense will be lawful.

Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to
avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.06

2265
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty
for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of 2240
the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.

2266
The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harm-
ful to people’s rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond
1897-1898 to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate
public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment
proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the pri-
mary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense…

60. Cf. Lev 17:14.
61. Ex 23:7.
62. Mt 5:21.
63. Cf. Mt 5:22-39; 5:44.
64. Cf. Mt 26:52.
65. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 64, 7, corp. art.
66. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 64, 7, corp. art.”
https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/545/

Information of The Bishops and the War in Iraq, May 2003
https://www.usccb.org/resources/information-bishops-and-war-iraq-may-2003

George W. Bush was-is a member of the United Methodist Church. The UMC Book of Disciple is only advisory. However, Bush wouldn’t even meet with UMC Bishops who begged to meet with him and speak with him, and give him a Bible. See the UMC Bishops listed at the end: https://web.archive.org/web/20220724043905/http://www.ncccusa.org/news/03news4.html But, he had time to speak to the Southern Baptist Convention, which agreed with him. The UMC position, at the time, may be found here (UMC Book of Discipline, 2000): “War and Peace-We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as a usual instrument of national foreign policy and insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them; that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities…” (p.121; pdf p. 68: https://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/10014/discipline-umc-2000.pdf ) As of 2016, their position includes “We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy. We oppose unilateral first/preemptive strike actions and strategies on the part of any government….” https://www.umcjustice.org/who-we-are/social-principles-and-resolutions/the-world-community-165/the-world-community-war-and-peace-165-c

PEW Research article: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2003/03/19/publicationpage-aspxid616

The more serious of the denominational statements provided by PEW Research on the Iraq war are found below, as well as the Southern Baptist statement:
“Church of England


Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in a joint Feb. 20 statement with Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, reiterated his opposition to war. “The events of recent days show that doubts still persist about the moral legitimacy as well as the unpredictable humanitarian consequences of a war with Iraq.”

Church of God in Christ


In a Jan. 23 letter to President Bush, Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson and the denomination’s General Board expressed concern for the military — noting its significant numbers of ethnic minorities — and Iraqi civilians. They called for moral principles to be involved in determining the necessity for war. “Failure to satisfy these criteria renders the war aims, strategies and tactics, at a minimum, morally suspect and perhaps morally unacceptable in the eyes of the church universal and under the gaze of a just and holy God,” they wrote.

Conference of Major Superiors of Men (Catholic men’s religious orders)


In a joint letter with other group to U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson, the men’s orders flatly opposed the war. “There remain many avenues of peaceful, diplomatic alternatives that have not been explored. The international community does not support a planned war. A clear and imminent threat has not been proven.”
[…]
Council on American-Islamic Relations


One of the country’s most visible Muslim groups said war against Iraq would kill innocent civilians and destabilize the region. “Any American invasion and occupation of Iraq will fuel anti-American sentiment and would thereby harm our nation’s image and interests in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world.”
[…]
Lutheran World Federation


The LWF’s executive committee, in a March 15 statement, denounced the Bush Administration for seeking war without United Nations approval. “The `just war’ criteria … were designed to constrain – not justify – the resort to war. Indeed, they stand in clear opposition to a preemptive war for the purpose of `regime change.’”
[…]
National Council of Churches


The NCC has sponsored anti-war delegations to Iraq, England, Germany, Italy, France and Russia, and is a sponsor of the “Win Without War” coalition. After the Feb. 5 meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, an NCC statement said “we deplore the fact that the most powerful nations of this world regard war as an acceptable instrument of foreign policy,” and called a U.S.-led war “an inappropriate means to achieve disarmament of any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
[…]
Southern Baptist Convention


Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, has spoken in favor of the potential war with Iraq. In a statement issued after Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Feb. 5 address to the United Nations Security Council, Land said: “The case for using force to bring about disarmament and regime change in Iraq was clearly and convincingly made for anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear. Our choice is to pay less now and deal with this problem or we can pay a lot more later and deal with a nuclear-armed Saddam.”
[…]
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops


The bishops’ president, Wilton Gregory, said on Feb. 26 that the bishops have not changed their minds since they spoke out against war last November. “To permit preemptive or preventive uses of military force to overthrow threatening or hostile regimes would create deeply troubling moral and legal precedents. Based on the facts that are known, it is difficult to justify resort to war against Iraq.”
[…]
See all statement excerpts here: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2003/03/19/publicationpage-aspxid616/

Related: “Rowan Williams adds his voice to calls for the WCC to eject Russian Orthodox Church” by Jonathan Luxmoore, 05 April 2022 https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/8-april/news/world/rowan-williams-adds-his-voice-to-calls-for-the-wcc-to-eject-russian-orthodox-church