Responsible guardians of peace : a Catholic apologia for human intelligence collection (HUMINT)

This thesis develops a Catholic apologia for human intelligence collection (HUMINT) conducted on behalf of a modern nation-state. The thesis defends two propositions: first, that HUMINT is compatible with Catholic ethics; and second, that, if properly conducted, HUMINT can represent a responsible manifestation of the command to serve and love one’s neighbour. The theological discussion is grounded primarily in the magisterial sources of the Roman Catholic Church and engages carefully with thinkers from other Christian traditions, particularly Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Reinhold Niebuhr. While recognising theological differences, the thesis focuses on areas of overlap concerning ethics in international relations, statecraft, and individual responsibility. The thesis conceptualises HUMINT as a process of both doing HUMINT and living HUMINT, thereby framing espionage as a mode of being with continuous ethical challenges. It identifies gaps in existing HUMINT ethics, particularly in offering contextual and individual-centred ethical reflection for spies. Through engagement with political Augustinianism, Christian realism, and Bonhoeffer’s theology of responsible action, the thesis argues that HUMINT is a necessary tool of responsible statecraft. At the same time, it rejects both the deification of the state and withdrawal from political responsibility. Based on the need for HUMINT and the limits to Christians’ service, the final chapters construct a positive vision of HUMINT directed towards peace. It concludes by conceptualising the Christian spy as an “institutionalised individual”: a moral agent responsible for their (in)action within institutional settings. Rejecting utilitarianism, consequentialism, and misguided teleologism, the thesis proposes a framework grounded in neighbourly love, with peace as the proximate object of HUMINT, and God as its ultimate telos.