Marquette, Be Faithful to the Gospel, No Longer Host the Departments of Military Science

WARNING: DANGEROUS VALUES ARE BEING TAUGHT AT MARQUETTE

Last October a student wrote in the Marquette Tribune (1): “A man with what appeared to be a military rifle ran past the first-floor windows of Lalumiere Hall around 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 10”. The student ran upstairs to find out what was happening. “On the mall, I found my gunman and seven or so more. Another platoon was conducting similar maneuvers across the lawn. They marched, they huddled around platoon leaders’ orders, and they aimed at air and yelled, ‘Bang’!” It was just ROTC students playing ‘war games’ on campus but it was still a “frightening and disturbing experience”.

The reality behind the “war games” on campus is the fact that Marquette is teaching ‘war’ to students from nine local colleges and universities in the Milwaukee metro area for the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

More dangerous than the ‘war games’ at Marquette are the teachings of these four military departments that are contrary to Christian values. For example, whereas the Army manual (2) teaches that Army values take priority, the Christian faith teaches: “The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel.” (3)

In the ‘60s during another ‘immoral and unjust’ war the Christian spiritual writer Thomas Merton wrote: “It is absolutely clear to me that we are faced with the obligation, both as human beings and as Christian of striving in every way possible to abolish war.” (4) In 1968 after successfully waging a campaign to rid Marquette of “institutional racism,” Marquette students turned their attention to stopping the teaching of war on campus. Inspired by the nonviolent action of the Milwaukee 14 in September of 1968 Marquette students and friends began a 40-year campaign to end military training at Marquette.

Now forty years later it is up to us—citizens of Milwaukee; people of faith; students, staff, teachers, and alumni of Marquette—to renew the movement to follow Gospel values at Marquette. This time the movement is not for racial equality but for peace.

(1) Marquette Tribune, Oct. 10, 2007 (2) Army Field Manual, [FM 22–100, Chapter 2–32], (3) Catechism of the Catholic Church 224 (4) The Hidden Ground of Love by Thomas Merton

Sign the MUPeace petition

40 Year History of Nonviolent Resistance to the Military at Marquette
The cost of Iraq War in $.
Contact: MUPeace

“The responsibility for war rests not only with those who directly cause war, but also with those who do not do everything in their power to prevent it.” — Pope John Paul II cited in “Catholic Relief Services: the Beginning Years” by Eileen Egan (NY: Catholic Relief Services, 1988), pp. 155–156

Simply stated, we believe that to “participate in an unjust war is to cooperate with evil” (1) and a citizen or institution “ is obliged not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel.” (2) We also believe that “subjects who are aware of the injustice of a war are obliged to refrain from fighting, even if their prince (government) attempts to coerce them, since one must place loyalty to God ahead of loyalty to the prince (government).” (3) Putting this together with the military statement on values that “if you’re to be an Army leader and person of integrity, these values (religious beliefs) must reinforce, not contradict, Army values”, (4) we are obliged by our Christian conscience to say. “Marquette, Be Faithful to the Gospel, No Longer Host the Departments of Military Science. (5)
• 1 Holy Card for Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, • 2 Catholic Catechism (2242)
• 3 Francis de Vitoria S.J. Treatise “On War”, • 4 Army Manual (FM-22–199, Army Leadership), • 5 MU Peace Petition

On March 23, 1980, Archbishop Romero of El Salvador made the following appeal to the men of the armed forces:

“Brothers, you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God, which says, ‘Thou shalt not kill’. No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than sinful orders. The church cannot remain silent before such an abomination. …In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cry rises to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you: stop the repression.”

The day following this speech, March 24, 1980, Archbishop Romero was murdered by military trained in the USA at a department of military science, SOA.

March 8, 2008

At Marquette St. Ignatius of Loyola accepts weapons of a military recruit at Cross

“Subjects who are aware of the injustice of a war are obliged to refrain from fighting, even if their prince attempts to coerce them, since one must place loyalty to God ahead of loyalty to the prince.” (Francis de Vitoria Dominican, 1483–1546 from treatise, On War)

Departments of Military Science

Marquette University is the “base school” of the Army in the Greater Milwaukee Area for nine colleges and universities. Help us close this School of the Army, SOA.

Marquette University is one of 23 of the 28 Jesuit Universities in the country that host the military. MU is one of the few Jesuit universities that host all departments of the military, Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy. The MU School of Military Science trains young men and women for the military from Marquette, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and as well students from eight other local colleges and universities.

Iraq War is Immoral and Unjust

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“John Paul has said there is no legal or moral justification for military action (in Iraq). He has also expressed concern that war would harm relations between Christians and Muslims.” (Catholic News Service, March 22, 2003)

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Currently, departments of military sciences at Marquette are recruiting and training young men and women to fight in Iraq. This is a war that is clearly illegal, immoral and unjust, fulfilling not a single one of the criteria for a just war either in its lead up or its conduct since the invasion and occupation of that country.

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Marquette University’s School of Military Science is the base school for many local Milwaukee colleges and universities. These include:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Alverno, Carthage College, Concordia University, Carroll College, UW Parkside, Mount Mary ----For example The Marquette University Department of the Army is the base school all of the4 above Milwaukee colleges and Universities.

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

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MILITARY VALUES Your personal values may and probably do extend beyond the Army values, to include such things as political, cultural, or religious beliefs. However, if you’re to be an Army leader and a person of integrity, these values must reinforce, not contradict, Army values.” (Army Field Manual, [FM 22–100, Chapter 2–32] ) “When soldiers and DA civilians take the oath (of service), they enter an institution guided by Army values. These are more than a system of rules. They’re not just a code tucked away in a drawer or a list in a dusty book. These values tell you what you need to be, every day, in every action you take. Army values form the very identity of America’s Army, the solid rock upon which everything else stands, especially in combat.” (Army Field Manual 22–100, Army Leadership.) The Military Does Not Allow for any Selective Conscientious Objection even to a war one’s faith and conscience declares unjust.

CHRISTIAN VALUES The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2242) Our nation must also make provisions for those who in conscience exercise their right to conscientious objection or selective conscientious objection. (USCC Statement 12/07} St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696–1787) “Where a soldier understands a war to be unjust, he may not receive absolution for his sin unless he seeks, as quickly as possible, dismissal from the military and in the interim refrains from hostile acts.” John Paul II “War in Iraq threatens fate of humanity.” “War in Iraq a crime, says Vatican” From ZENIT correspondents in Vatican City

Petition for Marquette To Be Faithful To The Gospel and No Longer Host Departments of Military Science

“On top of this, most of our universities and high schools train young people how to murder other people in an evil program called Reserve Officer Training Corp, or ROTC. This work goes against everything Jesus gave his life for, everything we stand for. While I was in Central America in 1985, Salvadoran Jesuit Ignacio Ellacuria talked about ROTC, ‘Tell the Jesuits of Georgetown that they are committing mortal sin because they are supporting the forces of death which are killing our people.’ He was assassinated in 1989.” (Father John Dear S.J. in National Catholic Reporter Online article — Jan. 8, 2008)