Berlin (epd). In the debate about the justification of arms deliveries to Ukraine, the theologian and ethicist Friedrich Lohmann advocates military support and even speaks of an obligation to do so. In the case of Ukraine, which was attacked in violation of international law, it is easy to justify “that there is an obligation to provide emergency aid, provided that it complies with the framework of proportionality,” said the Protestant professor of theology at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich on Thursday in Berlin. “German arms deliveries to Ukraine clearly fall under this obligation,” he added.
Lohmann referred to the paper he co-authored, “Measurement of the Possible,” which, initiated by the Protestant military chaplaincy, deals with the ethics of peace. It deals critically with the “conjurations of evangelical peace ethics that have almost become a mantra, that any reaction to the Russian invasion is guilty and that one finds oneself in an insoluble dilemma”. “The talk of a moral dilemma assumes that there are two alternative courses of action that can be endorsed ethically,” he said. When asked about support for Ukraine, Lohmann says he does not see this. However, he recognizes a dilemma when it comes to the question of nuclear deterrence.
In February, the Protestant military chaplaincy published a more than 60-page paper on peace ethics entitled “Measurement of the Possible”. In it, she pleads for an ethic of peace “that does not ignore security policy and military challenges.” The authors – theologians – emphasize that it is the core mission of the Church to keep alive the awareness that armed violence is an extreme emergency and state of emergency. At the same time, it is “crucial” to stand up for Ukraine’s right to self-defense and the recognition of the obligation to provide emergency aid.
Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, there has been a lively debate within the Protestant Church about positions on peace ethics. The majority of those responsible justify the military support of the attacked country. Individual prominent figures such as the Peace Commissioner of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Friedrich Kramer, and the former Council President Margot Käßmann reject arms deliveries with reference to the Bible.
The President of the Federal Academy for Security Policy, Ekkehard Brose, sees a problem in the polyphony of the Protestant Church on the issue of arms deliveries. As a result, he does not know where the Protestant Church stands, he said when discussing the paper on Thursday. If the church wants to be relevant in the discussion, it “should have a clear opinion,” he said.
The commander of the 10th Panzer Division, Major General Ruprecht von Butler, said he did not believe the evangelical church would be able to issue a paper that everyone agreed with. However, he expects that there will be little understanding for the Russian side. Butler, who is a member of the EKD synod, also opposed radical pacifist positions. If you say “I never use violence and would rather be shot” that also means that you allow your neighbor to be shot. He couldn’t go there.
The EKD military bishop Bernhard Felmberg said that the military pastoral care is not the automatic place for the debate on peace ethics. One is primarily responsible for accompanying the soldiers. But the debate on peace ethics is also important because of them. That’s why we made our own contribution.