Madrid, Spain – In a striking statement highlighting the Catholic Church’s ethical principles regarding international conflicts, Pope Leo XIII,
during his recent visit to the Spanish capital, Madrid, asserted that the ongoing US
and Israeli military operations against Iran lack the fundamental elements that,
according to established religious and philosophical teachings, would qualify a conflict as a “just war.”
A firm rejection of the justifications for war
In response to a journalist’s question about the legitimacy of the conflict,
the head of the Catholic Church emphasized that the current war exceeds acceptable moral boundaries.
The Pope stated, “I think this has already been made very clear: in Iran, the criteria for a just war are not met.”
These remarks are intended to put an end to the ongoing debate surrounding
the military justifications offered by the parties involved in the conflict.
For this reason, the Vatican believes that the humanitarian consequences and widespread destruction resulting
from this war fundamentally contradict the principle of “necessity and proportionality,” the cornerstone of the doctrine of just war.
Military technology and challenging old standards
In his address, Pope Leo explained that classical concepts of armed conflict have become inadequate in the face of modern technological realities.
He noted, “The theory of just war dates back centuries,
to a time when it was impossible to imagine the weapons and destructive power available to humanity today.”
This papal warning indicates that the tremendous development of lethal weapons has made
it extremely difficult to confine the damage of war to purely military targets.
Therefore, any large-scale armed conflict becomes fraught with dangers that transcend traditional moral constraints.
Controversy with the US administration
The Pope’s comments come in a tense political context, particularly following a previous public disagreement with US Vice President J.D. Vance.
Vance had earlier defended the ongoing military operations, describing them as a “just war” aimed at protecting strategic interests.
This characterization was met with a firm and direct rejection from Pope Leo.
This divergence in positions reflects the widening gap between political rhetoric and moral reality.
The Catholic Church, for its part, insists on a humanitarian stance that calls for dialogue rather than military escalation.
It also warns that modern wars cannot acquire moral legitimacy given their immense destructive capabilities.
Indeed, these capabilities are possessed by major powers and threaten the stability of the region and the world at large.
