The group representing the nation’s Catholic bishops has issued a statement in support of Pope Leo XIV’s remarks on the Iran war, an apparent rebuff of Vice President JD Vance’s admonition suggesting the pope “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war,” read the statement issued by Bishop James Massa, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ doctrine committee.
Pope Leo has expressed opposition to the war in favor of peace negotiations and said in an April 10 social media post that those who are disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
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On April 14, Vance, a Catholic convert who describes himself as deeply religious, addressed a Turning Point USA rally audience in Georgia. While saying he welcomed the pope commenting on immigration and abortion, he suggested the pope’s opposition to political leaders wielding the sword would have meant opposing U.S. liberation of France and concentration camps during World War II.
“I like that the pope is an advocate for peace. I think that’s certainly one of his roles,” Vance told the gathering. “On the other hand, how do you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?”
The April 15 statement from the bishops’ conference committee directly addressed those remarks, noting that a tenet of the church’s “just war” tradition teaches that nations “can only legitimately take up the sword” in self-defense after peace efforts have failed.
“To be a just war, it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said,” the statement said, quoting the pope’s March 29 homily at St. Peter’s Square in Rome: “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”
On April 7, after Trump’s Easter Sunday threats to annihilate Iranian infrastructure, Pope Leo called such rhetoric “truly unacceptable.”
“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology,” the committee statement said. “He is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of goodwill must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”
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