The issue of lethal autonomous weapons systems (laws) goes to the heart of the debate on new warfare technologies: States, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society at large have long been discussing the acceptability of ‘autonomous killing’. The present contribution zooms in on the position held by the Holy See, exploring its content and the main arguments which support the call of a ban on such technology. Both diplomatic statements and doctrinal teachings will be tackled. Importantly, a solid argument for a prohibition of laws is based on the moral unacceptability of autonomous killing, which may assume also a legal standing through the so-called Martens Clause. The history and the actual content of the Clause will be analyzed in order to explore whether – and to what extent – it can be interpreted so as to offer a legal ground for rejecting laws. It will be argued that the Holy See is in a particularly fit position to advocate for a renewed appraisal of the Martens Clause that may help the pro-ban front to structure a more principled debate.

致命的自动武器系统（法律）问题成为有关新战争技术的辩论的核心：各国，国际组织，非政府组织和整个民间社会长期以来一直在讨论“自动杀伤”的可接受性。本文稿将重点放在罗马教廷所持的立场上，探讨其内容和支持禁止使用该技术的主要论点。外交声明和教义学说都将得到解决。重要的是，有坚实的论据禁止法律这是基于道德上不能接受的自动杀人行为，而这种行为也可以通过所谓的马滕斯条款（Martens Clause）享有合法地位。将分析该条款的历史和实际内容，以探讨该条款是否可以解释以及在多大程度上可以解释，从而为拒绝法律提供法律依据。有人认为，罗马教廷处于特别合适的位置，主张重新评估马滕斯条款，这可能有助于支持禁令的阵线进行更原则性的辩论。