All we are saying is "give war a chance "

[Damned red devil]

What  catholic  theologian  has  ever  challenged the  "just  war theory "?

[Luigi]

I'm not the world's leading expert on Just War Theory, but I do know that when it was developed, it was supposed to restrain states from going to war. Prior to that, France, Spain, England, et alia went to war based on all kinds of lame logic. And those wars were usually led by mighty few people - a king, a duke, et. It was the Church who asked them to stop and think before they went to war - is this even justified? It also asked them to look at the collateral damage - you (the royalty) may think your war is justified, but have you considered the people who live in the territory you're going to invade? Or the soldiers you will draft and who will die in the process of your war?

To your main question of Catholic theologians challenging the Just War Theory, I can't answer definitively, but I'd bet the rent that the Berrigan brothers did so during the Viet Nam conflict, and probably other people at other times.

Just War is not a definitive Church teaching. The Church does promulgate the idea, because theoretically it could reduce the number of wars.

Edited July 20, 2016 by Luigi