| Quotation | The Council says explicitly that it is good that there be legal provision made for those who object to modern war and that these should consider themselves obliged to serve their society in some peaceful capacity. This being the case, no one should regard a Catholic objector as an oddity anymore. You are right, of course, that crazy and irresponsible protests on the part of pacifists do more harm than good and I have been in some arguments with them recently on this score. They are antagonizing good, honest people who really want to find out what the score is. You might also read Gordon Zahn's book In Silent [Solitary] Witness, on the Austrian Catholic objector [Franz Jägerstätter] executed under Hitler. The boys might enjoy it also. I don't say you ought to give them a forceful indoctrination, but they should have an opportunity to learn the other side of the question. The problem of social pressures is, of course, always going to be difficult, and it will perhaps be much worse in the future. |