Pope Leo XIV, speaking aboard the papal plane during a six-day visit to Spain, said the war in Iran does not meet Catholic “just war” standards and pointed to his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” which calls the theory outdated. He also warned he is worried f
When Pope Leo XIV stepped aboard the papal plane for journalists on the trip from Rome to Madrid, the question he faced was sharp enough to cut through the usual diplomacy of a visiting pontiff: could the war in Iran be justified under Catholic teaching?
“I believe it has been already declared clearly,” Leo said, then delivered a blunt conclusion. “There is no just war there,” he said, referencing the conflict in Iran.
The exchange turned to remarks by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in April, when Vance invoked “just war theory” to justify the war in Iran and told the pope to “be careful” when talking about theology. Leo answered that the debate was not new and not fragile.
“When the pope says that God is never on the side of people who wield the sword, there is more than 1,000-year tradition of just war theory,” Leo said.
His comments came as President Donald Trump later criticized Leo in a post on Truth Social, calling the pope “weak” on war.
Leo’s position is rooted in his own recent writing. He pointed to his most recent encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), which says just war theory has “too often been used to justify any kind of war” and is “now outdated.”
“The problem is that the just war theory comes from centuries past when we couldn’t imagine the weapons, human beings’ ability for destruction,” Leo said.
In “Magnifica Humanitas,” the pope argues for alternatives to violence—urging “dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness”—and condemns the use of force for harming civilians disproportionately.
The pope has made “overcoming the theory of the ‘just war’” one of the themes of the first summit of cardinals he convened at the Vatican on June 26-27, called a consistory.
This wasn’t the first time Leo has weighed in against the war in Iran. He has issued repeated appeals for peace and dialogue since the conflict began in February.
On the same flight, Leo shifted to another front—Ukraine—speaking out after Russian President Vladimir Putin recently refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I am worried for Ukraine,” Leo said. “We must really push to reach an end to the conflict and the war and find a solution,” he added, calling for continued negotiations.
“Already, four years and a half have passed. We must reach a solution,” he said, while recognizing the United States’ efforts to mediate a peace.
Leo also said he remains in contact with religious leaders in Lebanon, whom he met during his visit there in November. “The situation is very complex,” he said, as Israel continues its offensive in the southern part of the country.
The pope’s comments land during a six-day visit to Spain, and they echo a consistent message: the moral language of war, he argues, can no longer be treated as a blank check—especially when modern weapons and civilian harm are part of the real-world arithmetic.
Pope Leo XIV Iran war just war theory Magnifica Humanitas JD Vance Donald Trump Truth Social Ukraine Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy Lebanon Israel offensive Vatican consistory
So the pope is saying war in Iran is fake news? Got it.
I don’t really care about “just war theory” tbh. If people are killing people, what are we even debating. Trump called him weak so of course people are gonna flip out.
Wait, doesn’t the pope already support some wars historically? Like they had Crusades and stuff, so it’s kinda rich. Also “Magnifica Humanitas” sounds like a fancy way to say nothing. He worried f— what even is that sentence cut off? lol.
Be careful talking theology?? JD Vance shouldn’t even be in the religious convo. But I also get what the pope means about weapons being worse now, like we can’t pretend “just war” from centuries ago still works. Still, I’m confused how he can declare “no just war” without details of what exactly is happening in Iran right this second.