Key facts
- Pope Leo XIV is convening an extraordinary consistory of cardinals to revise the Catholic Church's just war doctrine.
- The Pope has stated that the traditional just war theory is outdated due to modern weapons and destructive capacity.
- The revision is expected to lead to stricter definitions of justifiable self-defense and greater emphasis on negotiation.
- The move is likely to increase tensions with the Trump administration, particularly regarding the conflict with Iran.
- Vice President JD Vance has previously criticized the Pope's theological views on just war.
Pope Leo XIV is set to convene cardinals to re-evaluate and potentially revise the Catholic Church's long-standing doctrine on the justification of war. This initiative, likely to create friction with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, stems from the Pope's belief that the traditional framework, dating back to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, is no longer applicable in an era of advanced weaponry like drones, cyber-warfare, and nuclear arms.
In a recent encyclical, Pope Leo XIV declared the just war theory "outdated," asserting that it was developed in centuries with vastly different capacities for destruction. He plans to gather cardinals to hash out new guidelines, which are expected to lead to stricter definitions of self-defense and a greater emphasis on negotiation before any potential conflict. This move is particularly relevant in the context of the ongoing Iran conflict, which has already seen Vice President JD Vance caution the Pope about his theological pronouncements.
Senior clergy, including Archbishop Timothy Broglio, support the review, noting that modern warfare's cataclysmic nature demands a fresh examination of the doctrine. Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia described the Pope's actions as accelerating a process initiated by his predecessors, emphasizing that the Church is a living body. Analysts suggest the consistory aims to transform the Pope's personal stance into the Church's collective consensus, potentially giving any resulting statement greater force.
While some advocate for the complete abandonment of the just war doctrine, the Pope's ultimate goal may be to narrow its application, reserving it for the most stringent cases of self-defense. Archbishop Broglio suggested this could lead to clearer distinctions between defensive wars and preventive military actions, citing the difference between the situation in Ukraine and a potential preventive approach toward Iran. The immediate message from the consistory is anticipated to be an appeal for negotiation before conflicts erupt.